From Oxfords to Sneakers
by signaturesweet
Summary: When the heir to a famous law firm drops out of his law school to attend a low class junior college, his unusual decision flips his wealthy life upside down as he deals with the changes of fitting into a commoner's life in the hopes of getting to know the girl who mirrored everything he once thought a human being to be. Is there such a thing as a kind-hearted soul in this world? AU
1. An Unorthodox Decision

**AN: Just another AU, I don't know why but this idea wouldn't leave me alone, and it is more modern than the rest of my stories so I am going about it differently. Sesshomaru may not be exactly as he is in the anime, but I refuse to change his loveable personality lol Idk, seeing a lot of amvs with animes related to school life just brought this idea in my head, but I thought of taking the high school level up a notch to college level considering I'm in college too!**

**Am I still working on me Seas story: Yes! Update should come hopefully later today**

**Am I still working on my Market Mayhem: YES! It's coming along bit by bit because I usually work on two stories at the same time; helps me out so I don't feel so stuck on just one story topic. I would explain further but I don't want to give off any spoilers, let's just say the chapter is a difficult one to write, for me personally it is. I am happy with it so far, I won't give my readers a cruddy chapter to read after all this time. **

**But in the meantime you're welcomed to read what I have planned for this story, the ending is still blurry but I have most of the plot figured out. It is a different approach, but I may as well see if the readers like that approach or not. I like it though :D **

**So enjoy and R&R!**

**Seifuku: Japanese for **_**conquest**_**; thought it would be fitting for Sesshomaru's last name.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters.**

**From Oxfords to Sneakers: An Unorthodox Decision**

The sounds of a busy pen scratching away on a clean sheet of paper came to a sudden halt half way through the page, and a pregnant silence filled the large office room as a set of golden eyes rose up to meet an equal set of golden pupils.

"Come again," spoke a soft feminine voice; masking over a furious rage that was sure to make its way through if what the beautiful career-struck woman had heard was correct. Across her luxurious, pink-ivory wood desk, a young man with hair as long, as silver, and as sleek as hers gazed at her with the same amber colored eyes that she wore. Their expressions wrote out the same emotions as well; both tempted to release their foul temper at any minute, but both equally as serious and confused as the other.

"I've made arrangements to transfer to a different college," stated the young man with a blue Persian moon resting proudly upon his forehead, nestled evenly between a spilt of silver bangs. His hardened gaze bore into the woman's eyes, a similar blue moon stood comfortable upon her forehead, her wider range of bangs more evenly cut that that of her visitors.

The young man stared down at the woman's hand, noting how her grip on her pen had hardened to the point where he heard a small snap come from the unfortunate writing tool. Both her hands rose to entwine with one another against her mouth. He saw that as a way for her to cover her disappointed frown, but the dark hue of her nails only reminded him of how vulgar her attitude could be.

She cleared her throat for a moment, and then leaned back in her black leather chair before rising to move closer to her company. Her black polished pumps strode across the lavender colored carpets, complimented by the light grey walls that surveyed the office room; receiving plenty of light from the wall of glass that stood directly behind the beautiful woman's desk; a top-class view of the city presented to all who stood near the enormous window.

Her stride stopped when she reached her guest, he stood over a few inches taller than her even with her four inch heels, and she had to constantly remind herself that his exquisite sharp looks and unmatched masculine splendor was all her doing. She didn't bother to put the father-figure in mind, she wouldn't dare think about him, even though at times this young male before her made her feel like her late husband still accompanied their house hold. Their elaborate mansion, she thought, to be precise.

Her dainty hands rose to palm the young man's cheek; her nail color almost identical to the magenta colored stripes that decorated his face. "My son," she spoke softly all the while caressing his features. "Would you mind explaining to your dear mother, why it is that you have chosen to abandon the most prestigious college this city has to offer, the most highly respected school in this country? One that can upstart the careers of future senates, governors, lawyers, even presidents…and you want to transfer?"

When no answer was given the woman removed her hand and folded her arms across her crème colored blouse. "Explain Sesshomaru," she demanded, her delicate brows furrowed.

"I have my reasons," was all he remarked; as if all the planning and time she had given him to come up with a reasonable response was just wasted in a simple four worded sentence.

She sighed deeply at her son's lack of cooperation, not sure on which parent he received that irritating habit from. She leaned back against her desk, her knees folded under her black silk skirt as she pinched the area between her brows. "Which school is it?" she asked out of curiosity, wondering if she would even receive an answer, but he obviously didn't want his transaction to go unknown considering he is here now informing her about it.

As if on cue, Sesshomaru lifted his hand to hand her a clean manila folder; the light weight papers inside was enough to advise his mother of what was to come; unlike his previous collage information, which had to be presented in stacks of clean white envelopes considering there was so much that needed to be known about the school, this folder was as light as an ant in comparison. Judging by how many papers she could already see seeping past the folder, she already knew that she was hardly going to be impressed.

She opened the folder, grimacing when she noted that there was a large absence of photos, aside from the usual picture of the campus, and most of the color used was the usual black and white. _Tetsusaiga University's front page had more color than this entire stack of papers put together, _she thought bitterly.

Her eyes read across the bold set of words lined at the top of the first page. "Tenseiga Community College," she worded as simply as it was presented on the white crisp paper. Her ruby red lips turned up in a vicious pout, "A junior college," she rasped out.

The moment her eyes read over the name of the 'junior' college a second time she immediately closed the folder; not wanting to take one more look at the atrocious writing. She walked back behind her desk, and put her hands behind her back as she stared out into her massive wall of window glass. The summer was nearly ending, but with the weather being as moody as it was, it decided to grace her week with a splash of rain. It was not big deal to her really, her gardens could use the extra moisture, and this gave her the opportunity to model off her new rain boots.

The well respected Lady could hardly believe how her morning was going so far. She had enough problems to deal with when it came to maintain her later husband's business. Having to keep track of the amount of clients that passes through her double stained glass doors, and seeing the progress of all the lawyers that worked for her was enough work in itself considering her family's law office was the most well known throughout Tokyo. The all too famous, Crescent Moon Law Firm, owned by the all too well known, Seifuku Family.

Then there was her modeling agency, whose constant calls and faxes had been pulling the skin under her eyes. Their desire for her approval in attending the next model world tour have been denied for the past six months due to an increase in clients from her law business.

And now there was this, she sighed. Her heir and only son, comes walking into her office to inform her of his plans of transferring to a low class community college. His unexpected plans would set back years of planning that she made ever since she heard word of her husband's death nearly fifteen years ago. Everything was going right up until he revealed to her this upsetting news. He graduated from the most respected high school in Tokyo; top of his class, and just as she demanded, he graduated at the age of sixteen.

From there it was Tetsusaiga University for him, a place that took time considering her brilliant son's acceptance, but in the end, to no one's surprise he was accepted with great honor. For the last five and a half years he had studied law and business, just as she had planned. He stands at the top percent of his class now, astounding everyone with his intelligence at the young age of 20, soon to be 21. Before long he could begin his internship into his father's company, leaving her with some extra time to take a few breathers from all her work until it was his time as heir to take it over completely, leaving her room to retire at a young reasonable age. The modeling agency even wanted a few sample shots of her son's beauty, which she had already started him in so that it was always guaranteed that he kept up with his looks as well as his brains.

He was to ensure their future, her future and his as long as he kept up with the plan she had made for him. Now he comes in here, shattering her long thought out procedures with but a few simple words. He had a knack for pulling off stunts like that; like some talent that he possessed amongst other things.

Her head shot up when a thought came to mind.

"Is this about your piano playing?" she asked after a few deep breaths. The dreaded thought of that outrageous collection of his; those dozens of pianos residing in his private music room had left her, to this day, fathoming why his desire for that instrument was so great. If he wasn't studying, he was playing with his pianos. Not that she didn't complain too much; it was only natural that her son picked up on a musical talent, but his playing and attention toward the instrument had increased only too much throughout the years. From time to time she found herself lecturing him on what he needed to focus on more in his life.

"If it is, I've taught you better than to take that route."

A small "Hn," was heard behind her, before he reassured her with his firm answer of it being, "none of the sort."

She heard his footsteps approach her from the side, and spotted him staring out the very same window from the corner of her eye. She noted how well he looked with his college uniform; his white dress coat with gold trimmings along his collar and cuff links, matched with his black slacks that fit to the length of his long legs, and polished black oxford shoes. The Tetsusaiga University badge shinned with gold polish against his coat, making him seem more regal than he already was.

He pressed his hands behind his back, staring out into the city, then into the pale blue sky while the first signs of rain began to patter against the large clear window. "It will not be a permanent stay," he reassured, although knowing that it will do nothing to bring her stress levels down any. "I merely wish to confirm something," he ended.

"Confirm something?" she said. "Just what is it exactly that you want to confirm?"

"I...I am unsure."

The Great Lady curved her brow, unable to recall the last time she heard her son stutter in his sentence; his speech was always close to perfect. And never had she once heard such a vial word as 'unsure' escape his lips, he never had any doubts about what he did. What had gotten into him? She lifted her hand again, and like any dotting mother she carefully placed it upon his forehead; covering his signature blue moon. "Well you're not running a fever," she clarified before removing her hand leaving a pout on her son's lips over her treatment, as if he was a child. "Are you lacking any sleep, is the nutritionist providing you stable sustenance?" she asked, determined to get to the bottom of this extreme decision of his.

He sighed at her concern; choosing to ignore the mother hen clucking away at his feet.

"I have already talked to one of the University's chairmen, and have explained my plans to him. I will spend the last few remaining weeks of summer packing up my belongings at the university, and from there will return to this side of the city to attend Tenseiga College. I will be attending the fall, and if all goes well the spring including. After my year is up I will continue at Tetsusaiga University where I left off in my classes, and will begin my training into father's company."

He kept his gaze fixed on the dripping window, watching as the sky turned from a pale blue to a dark grey all the while listening to his mother's nails tapping against one other. She listened with a keen interest, not surprised to hear that he already had everything planned out. "You are so close to receiving your masters," she said as she turned her head to give him a disappointed stare. "You have only half a year to go, and now you drop out. What makes you think the university would accept you back?"

"Because they would not risk the chance at not having their school's name plastered on a certificate plaque in the office of the heir to Tokyo's most renowned Law Firm," he remarked, a small smirk grazing his fine lips knowing he had to use a bit of foul play to get what he wanted, but knew he wasn't the only rich kid in that school that pulled dishonest strings with the workers. A rumor of affairs between students and teachers was practically the school's daily news.

"Sounds like you have everything planned out," the Lady sighed, feeling a splitting headache come her way. So much for persuading him out of it, she thought.

"And of this…junior college, have you registered, paid for tuition, and explained why you are doing what you are doing?" Her eyes flinched as every question she threw at him, hoping to falter his plans by explaining the work that had to be done. Why was he doing this?

She saw a simple nod come from his head, "I have contacted the college's advisors, and did a little persuading so that they understand the situation I'm in." The Lady saw another smirk enter her line of sight before he began again. "So now as far as that school is concerned, I am just another humble student trying to get his basics out of the way."

The Lady took another deep sigh, and then turned on her heels to pick up the manila folder off her desk. She opened it up to read through most of the contents presented on the papers. She closed the folder after a quick inspection and put the palm of her hand over her eyes. "Sesshomaru," she sighed, reminding her that her own son could be the death of her one day; a fact that she figured out much too long ago.

"I will set up classes a few short days before I attend," he added, turning on his own heels to face away from the dull grey city scape window. "I will see about the area's apartments," he further added, catching his mother's obvious snarl when he mentioned the word apartment. "The school is a good distance from home. Either I move in to an apartment nearby or more of our money is handed out to our chauffeurs. And if most students there are to believe that I am a part of their system then I'd rather not show up in any one of my vehicles."

"You plan to live like the low class too?" The Lady curved her brow as she parted her fingers to reveal a very unpleasant eye.

"All for the wiser," he countered, "You wouldn't want word getting out about this would you?"

The Great Lady waved her hand away, as if shooing a fly. "Fine, fine do as you wish," she mumbled sullenly as she leaned over her desk to support herself on her hands. "Rejecting your mother's kindly advice, how rude," she pouted. She couldn't believe this; her precious son was about to abandon a prestige University known only by those with deep pockets, for a low class community college whose name was located down a street filled with middle class market shops and flower stores. Something was just not right with this picture, she thought.

"Why?"

"I've already told you I have my reasons."

"You know that answer is not enough to…" The Lady's eyes widened when a small orange thread was seen sprouting out from Sesshomaru's coat pocket. The bright orange color stood out against the white silk material, it was an easy catch when she struck her hand toward his side to pull at the string.

His annoyed grunt had her smiling in triumph over snatching away an object that he obviously didn't want her to see. In with a few quick flicks of her wrist she quickly pulled her hand away before he had a chance to grasp it. "What do you have here?" she examined as she lifted a small orange handkerchief embedded with threads of various bright colors decorating the soft orange background with many floral-like designs.

Her golden eyes studied the small piece of cloth for a few seconds longer, before a cheeky grin rose from her features when she turned to stare into a set of eyes that practically told her to go jump off a bridge.

"I see, so it's a girl that intrigues you," she chuckled, waving the cloth before his face and snatching it back when it seemed as if he would try to retrieve it; like tempting a dog with a bone. "Care to explain this to me?"

"It is of no concern of yours," he quickly snapped, beyond irritated, especially when it almost seemed as if she was going to get the handkerchief dirty, and after he just asked the cleaners to wash and press it. Someone was going to get fired for letting a loose thread go unnoticed, and he would gladly be the one to set their occupation as 'unemployed'.

"Well if this is a girl's handkerchief then it leaves me very curious considering I hardly ever see you show interest in women," she smirked, leaving a small blush forming on her son's cheeks. "But if this is _your_ handkerchief then my previous assumptions about you were correct and I have an even deeper concern for you now," she teased.

She felt herself laugh when his small blush turned cherry red before he snatched the cloth away from her hands with an added growl. "No. Concern. Of yours," he repeated.

"Please do not make my day worse and tell me it is that Sara woman," the Lady pleaded as she placed her hand over her heart in an almost dramatic way. "By the gods, I cannot count how many times her family's limousine has dropped her off at our estate just so she could ask if you were home. I hear talk that she even had plans to follow you to the university had it not been for her family's sudden financial crisis." The Lady cringed when she remembered that information was supposed to be kept secret, but keeping her mouth shut was not much of a strong point for her.

"Do not be ridiculous," Sesshomaru assured as he folded the handkerchief neatly before placing it in his coat pocket again, much to his mother's amusement. After giving her one last icy glare he walked to her office door and put his hand on the silver polished door knob. "I will be home within a week and will begin my preparations from there," he well-versed. "Do me the honor of making sure my room is orderly when I arrive," he said before opening the door.

"Sesshomaru," his mother called out.

Reluctantly, he turned his head over his shoulder, unfazed by her solemn stare.

"It's risky what you're doing," she warned.

"Hn," came his usual grunt, "It is my risk to take."

"Is it worth it?" she asked, a touch of apprehension shooting past her stare, "all this…is it worth whatever or…whoever you're doing it for?"

She watched as he repositioned his head till he was facing the door again. She saw his shoulders slump, and a breathy silence passes before he answered as he left out the door. "I hope…"

Her eyes flickered at his answer. Hope, not a word she hardly remembered him to use; he never had anything to really hope for when she taught him that he could have anything his heart desired if he only worked at it. For him to…hope had her wondering exactly how much thought he put into his decision.

She took another weary sigh as she walked back to sit against her office seat in a slump. Her delicate painted nail rose up to press a red button on her phone machine; dialing to the extension of her secretary.

"Kagura," the Lady spoke in exhaustion; her eyes closed to reveal her dark pink eyeshade markings. "Yes ma'am," replied a deeper feminine voice, the sounds of other phone calls going off and doors opening filled the Lady's agitated ears.

"Schedule a spa date for me," she requested while down below on the bottom floor a young woman chewed away on a piece of gum as she pressed the phone back against her ear. "Right away ma'am," she complied before placing the black office phone back on the receiver.

She allowed a bubble to pop as she eagerly waited for the elevator door to open. The Lady's exhausted call was all the sound the young secretary needed to hear to know that _he_ was on his way down. Once the sound of the 'beep' was heard she quickly spit out her gum in a nearby garbage bin, and straightened out her lavender silk blouse as well as her posture.

Her wine red eyes sparkled when the sight of the boss's all too handsome son started striding down the lobby's main walk way. Her blood red lips nearly opened in amazement when she thought of how he would strut down a runway. His elegant posture mixed with his unattainable beauty, and the sensual way his long silver hair strode with every step he took had her fixing her own hair till it lay neatly in a bun as she pinned it up with her feather pinned ribbon.

After tidying herself up, she looked down at the mirror in her lap; confident of her looks. She stuffed her 'Sesshomaru-related' magazines away before lifting her head just in time to catch the object of her attention donning on his leather black rain coat near the coat rack.

She gazed in admiration as he prepared himself for the wet weather outside. The coat hung down to his knees, and she smiled at the way he simply left it open; no interest in tying it up at all. He continued down his path to the door, and Kagura gulped down all the things she wanted to say. Instead, she waved up her hand when he passed; determined to act as casual as could be.

"See ya around Sesshomaru," she waved with a seductive smile while he in turn merely turned his head to look at her before stepping on the black mat that opened the automatic doors. Her smile wavered when she saw him step inside the seat of his black limousine, wondered when the next time will come that she will get to see him again.

She sighed as she leaned back, pulling out another stick of gum to chew as she grabbed the nearest magazine she could. His picture lay on the cover, along with his beautiful mother who had her arms crossed in a powerful stance as she leaned back against his chest. Most assumed they were a power couple considering how young his mother looked, but those who were in alliance with the family's company and took extra time out of their lives to investigate the relationship further were surprised to find them defined as mother and son.

Kagura's eyes skimped over a few of the first lines in the magazine, "World renowned Seifuku Family eagerly awaits the day the next Seifuku male can take over Crescent Moon Law Firm. Can Sesshomaru Seifuku live up to his father's reputation?" Kagura frowned at the pages ridiculous question. "Of course he can," she mussed before placing her finger on the face of the silver haired beauty she had sought after for so long. She joined this company just to see if he was truly all he was, and when he proved to be more than she could ever imagine she found herself stuck behind this desk for the past four years. He was so dazzling, and Kagura blushed at the memory of him looking at her.

I_**I**_I_I_**I**_I_I_**I**_I_I_**I**_I

"Royokon, take me down Tenseiga Main St.," Sesshomaru directly ordered his chauffeur through the small window leading from the driver area to the back seats.

The large muscled man in the front seat flinched at his orders until he turned his head back to stare at his master through large blue eyes. "Uh are you sure Sir; that would only set us back. Don't you think it would be easier if we-"

"Now," the young silver haired male growled; his vicious deep voice urged the driver to step on the gas pedal; navigating them down the eastern part of the city.

"Jaken…"

"Uh, y-yes master," spoke the irritating voice of Sesshomaru's personal servant Jaken, who at the moment was typing out his employer's next daily agenda on his laptop. "Cease that racket, deal with it later," Sesshomaru sharply ordered as the patter of rain began to pepper over the glass beside him.

"Y-Yes Sir," Jaken mumbled with sweat rolling down his shiny bald head. His brown business suit was tailored to fit his 'short' size, and Sesshomaru sent him another deadly glare when his oddly shaped mouth kept chattering away, ordering him firmly to sit on the seat opposite of him on the other side of the limo.

When the little man did as he was ordered, Sesshomaru relished in his solitude in his dark right corner; his only company being his reflection through the dripping wet window. He knew he was highly annoyed, but couldn't fathom why. He had got what he wanted; everything was going to plan so far. His mother even accepted his decision, oddly enough, but he knew it would be a foolish mistake to hide such a truth from her. She was bound to find out the sooner or later from the university, but now he solved even that problem.

So what still caused goosbumps to rise from his skin, what still troubled him?

_All this…is it worth whatever…or whoever you're doing it for._

Sesshomaru leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, watching the blurry scene of the dull grey city pass by. He didn't know the reason he did what he did, or rather…he did know the reason, but he could hardly understand why_ she_ led him to doing this.

His mother was correct in her warning, this was risky. Usually he would handle things with precision and care, like any good future lawyer; even his decisions would not be made unless he analyzed all his options, risks, and benefits. Yet now he felt like he made a hasty plan that he had hardly thought through well enough; he didn't know the outcome of his choice, and usually he could predict his life as though his eyes could see into the future.

Yet now…the simplest thing could go wrong, and he meant the simplest thing; practically anything could have him wishing that he never made the foolish mistake to leave the university.

Have him wishing that he had never met _her. _But he did…

And now she plagued his mind like a fatal disease, ensuring his death already by bringing him to make this regrettable course of action. To attend this low class community college, and act like…one of them.

"A commoner," he muttered, gulping down the bile that was threatening to spill from his mouth. He didn't have to change his entire appearance and stature to attend this school, but he wanted to know a solid truth, and felt his wealth and social statues would deny him that truth less he became similar to what he saw _her_ as…what he saw the rest of the students attending that college as.

He sighed through his nose; it was said and done now…nothing more he could do.

Turning back now will only all give his mother the satisfaction that he was determined not to let her have once he told her of his plan. He could already hear more of her snickers if she found out he gave up and ran back to the university like a bruised puppy.

"Sir," Royokon spoke through the vehicles small window. "Sir I am on Tenseiga Main, is there anything that you needed on this street?"

Sesshomaru drifted his finger to a button near the door handle, and the window lowered down half way, just enough for him to peer outside. "Just drive at a slow pace," he ordered; his eyes fixated on the entrance that was soon to come up. The rain splashed against his face, the forest scented water cooled his skin, allowing him to unwind his tense muscles. Outside, the streets were wet and grey, along with the rest of the buildings aside from the bright yellow lights that shined through almost every window they passed, reflecting off the puddles of water below.

"Slow it down," Sesshomaru sternly ordered as he peeked out far enough to where his silver bangs began to dampen. The wall that extended around the entire campus of the collage was about to end; and if he remembered correctly he was expecting to see an iron gate block off the city streets from the campus. Considering it was summer, no doubt the gates would be closed and locked.

"Royokon," he called out.

"Yes Sir?"

"Make a left," he commanded.

"You mean turn on the street where the gate is?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru rumbled, irritated that he had to explain himself.

The limo neared the schools entrance and Sesshomaru let out the breath that he hardly realized he was holding. Just as he deducted, the school's entrance gate had been closed for the summer. His amber eyes roamed to get a good look inside the gate. Same two-story white washed buildings lines up in some random order all around the campus; same placement of trees that he remembered seeing a whole two months ago; on a day so much like this one.

_Perhaps…_

He turned his head forward as the limo turned, and Sesshomaru ordered for the driver to drive at a slow pace again.

Sesshomaru rolled up the window, tired of the wet nose he was receiving from the rain. His eyes glanced out onto the water puddles that lay splashed on the grey pavements and sidewalks. A few people walked around, each holding dark colored umbrellas or wearing simple yellow rain coats. A few brightly lit restaurant windows attracted his gaze, and Sesshomaru took a few sneak peeks into the dinners without being too conspicuous.

He paid special attention to the alleyways, finding nothing but stray cats who found shelter from the rain in old trash cans and boxes. His eyes strained to see past the window when the rain picked up, and when the visible hue of a street light came into his sight he reached into his coat pocket to retrieve the orange floral handkerchief. His fingers ran across the soft material, all the while his eyes stared at the area on the sidewalk that was accompanied by a circle of light shined by the street light above.

Sesshomaru's gaze lingered on the corner of that street, he remembered. Those eyes, that voice, that sweet sweet smile, he remembered _her_.

His hand clutched the orange fabric in his hand. Where was _she_?

**AN: This story will mainly be told through Sessh's point of view, which is different because I usually like to keep his thoughts on the low, but I can't make him exactly like his aristocratic demon character. I can still bring out his personality and habits thought, my favorite Sesshomaru is a rich snobby Sesshomaru lol **

**I attend a junior college so since I'm on break I just wanted to incorporate a story that revolves around the life I had, of course this story will be nothing like my life. I do not recommend doing what Sesshomaru is doing, unless you are rich and you know you have a chance at getting away with it….but can he truly get away with what he's doing? I guess the sooner I update the sooner we find out!**

**I originally thought of having Sesshomaru's father lecture him, but I always like writing about his mother since we get to see a bit of her personality in final act ep 9, so I stuck with the idea of the deceased father, and just had fun portraying his mother. Kagura is only one of the many characters I will use to join in on this love story, and I never hated her, but I was not convinced Sesshomaru had any other feelings for her in the anime other than pity and loss.**

**Is Sesshomaru a demon? I really don't know the exact answer to that question, but it will be explained in the next chapter. This is not a fantasy, I already have my Sea Story to give me that, and my post manga stories help me relate to my favorite anime series as well as my favorite anime character, this story gives me that modern time feel which feels good to write about sometimes, any other AU writers out there, I hope you know what I mean.**

**Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this, any comments left would be appreciated to let me know if I should continue with this story or not, stay alert for the updates of my other stories till next time!**


	2. Enchanted to Meet You

**AN: Guess who pops up in this chapter, as if you guys didn't already know lol **

**This is pretty long, around the length of Market Mayhem I believe if not shorter, it was never intended to be this long but that's just normal for me now :p I had so much fun writing this though, and I am going to warn that Sesshomaru is not as completely in character as I try to make him be in my post-manga stories, and with this story being told through mainly his point of view and not Rin's he will seem a little different but I'll let you guys be the judge in how OOC he is or if he's not that OOC at all. Like I said I really enjoyed writing this chapter and the inspiration came from Owl City Enchanted, originally a Taylor Swift song but I like their version better so I listened to it while I wrote this.**

**Thanks so much for all the reviews so far, I didn't think you guy would be so curious to find out more and a few more answers will be included in this chapter as well. And to any whom I was unable to thank through mail:**

**Aproova: thanks for the tip on those words, I felt like they were misspelled but I couldn't put my finger on how lol now I know, and yes market mayhem's update is up next, the length is probably going to be longer than this which is why it is taking a while hope you don't mind and thanks a ton for your review :))**

**Daddy's Special Request: thanks so much I'm always glad to get reviews from you :D**

**Sphinx: actually you'll be surprised that he is in here, he won't be here anytime soon but yes :)) thanks for your review!**

**Yuri18: Yeah a little weird especially since I'm trying to stay away from Rin's POV it's different but so far I love XD and thanks I always do love portraying his mother, and yes Kohaku is here as well but I won't say any more than that lol thanks a bunch for your review it means a lot :D**

**Thanks again to everyone, and thank you to the ones who favorite this or author alerted me or story alerted it all means a lot I'm glad it's liked. It's my first modern AU but I have not forgotten about my other stories, they're all different so it's easy to keep track of what idea goes where, can't suddenly give Sesshomaru a fin in this XD **

**Anyway hope you all enjoy and please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters.**

**From Oxfords to Sneakers: Enchanted to Meet You**

_This just had to be his day._

_There was just no doubt in his mind; now that he found himself wandering aimlessly through the dark, rainy streets of Tokyo he was more than convinced that it was he who the gods above had decided to torture with a series of unfortunate events, and a case of constant bad luck. His black crocodile skin oxfords slid against the puddled pavements of the sidewalk; fatigue burned away at his eyes while his hunger had him near sinking to the ground. His long leather coat hung open in a useless attempt to cover the cloths underneath from the bitter rain, not that it mattered anymore, his entire body felt like it was soaked to the skin. Where it all began, his mind was too tired to remember; the sounds of a piano playing, cars honking, a bicyclist speeding, keys jingling, and the silence of a dead phone circled around his memory._

_Sesshomaru stumbled into an alleyway, leaning back into the nearest wall with no recollection of what the two parallel buildings were or what they did. His hair was a tangled mess, one of the down sides of having it so long; his bangs clung to his nose and forehead, and his long, thick wet mane stuck to his cloths like threads of cobwebs. Nowhere near looking like the majestic beauty that he normally was, and his usually prestige image had crumbled like a tower of blocks. _

_He desperately wanted sleep, but with the distant sounds of thunder roaring over his head, he knew that would not come any time soon. He allowed himself to slump down on the muddy puddled ground, pulling at the collar of his jacket to somehow get some heat circulating into his cold, wet body. Though the rain still tapped against his head, and his body was nowhere near back to its normal temperature, the young silver haired male was finally able to take a quick breather as he thought back on how he could have ended up in such a predicament. _

_He should have never planned to go to that scheduled court date. Some men his age enjoyed a game of football, but he liked to spend his time in the court room as he studied up on anything and everything he needed to know. He had attended the criminal's previous court dates, and refused to miss the one that chose what his future would hold. To him, hearing the jury's statement over the prisoner was like a man's excitement over a football player running for a homerun…or was it a touchdown. Needless to say he wasn't much of a football fanatic, and his day didn't quite go as he had expected._

_It was actually a funny story, and maybe one day he will have a good chuckle about it. Right now though, he would prefer to curse his day's events to the lowest pits of hell._

_It was his late night meeting with some well thought out music sheets and a row of polished piano keys that kept him up. He refused to blame his piano playing for his disaster, especially since the instrument brought him a small amount of peace in his persistent busy life. Yet because of his late hours up, he woke in his bed to find that he was over an hour late for the court meeting. The outrageously clichéd mistake he pulled of forgetting to set his alarm was his downfall. Or could it have been his hasty actions when he finally parked his vehicle in the parking lot across the street from the court house, only to be faced with a parade of cars in front of him._

_His golden eyes flinched at the recent memory, "That accursed stoplight's fault for taking an eternity," he mumbled through gritted teeth. Yes, for now he would put all the blame on the stoplight; for had it only changed on his time than he would not have pulled off the foolish stunt of trying to cross a busy city street. All went well surprisingly though, and he managed to make it near the end without a single tire running over his fine dark grey leather coat. _

"_That brain lacking bicyclist," he growled as he switched the blame from the stoplight, to the cyclist who knocked him over just as he neared the building, and sent him sprawling on the wet pavement near the edge of the sidewalk. He was able to dodge a stampede of motor-run machines that could reach speeds of over 100 mph, but was taken down by a two wheeled bucket of iron rods…should that be something else that he would find himself laughing about in the future too. _

_Either way the impact sent his car keys popping out of his breast pocket, and sliding against the slippery concert only to fall into a nearby rain gutter. That's when everything went terribly wrong, he remembered._

_He recalled lifting himself up after his fall, cursing the cyclist, but thankful that there were no reporters in sight and everyone around him was too inconsiderate to ask of his health. The last thing he needed was a picture of him sprawled on the ground displayed for the papers head news. His keys were lost, and when he reached into his coat to pull out his trusty cell phone, the sounds of a dead silence buzzed in his ear. His fall had smashed the screen of his phone, a long crack sliced down the center like a bolt of lightning. From there he felt like fate decided to mock his literary term when he heard the roar of thunder clap against his ears. _

_His keys were lost, his phone was dead, and now it was about to rain. Perfect._

_Then he remembered his luck only steeping further into a black abyss. In his previous hasty actions of making it to the court room as soon as possible, he made another imprudent mistake of leaving his briefcase in his vehicle. His laptop, his notebook, his wallet, his spar keys, his umbrella…..all in a vehicle which he had no resources to get into. He knew of the sinister souls that would love to get behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, and for that reason alone he made sure all his cars where bullet proof as well as thief proof. The alarms would buzz if he had no keys to unlock it, and the sheer embarrassment of being known as the Seifuku heir who couldn't get into his own car would scar his reputation for life. _

_He could have called for a ride…through his cell phone that didn't work._

_He could have just used a pay phone…with the money buried deep within his briefcase that was nestled beneath the seat of his locked car. _

_Sesshomaru pause in his reminiscing when the sounds of people approaching had him moving deeper into the shadows of the alley to sneak away from their prying eyes. If word got out that the son of a world famous lawyer was found wandering the streets like some homeless fellow the magazines would tarnish his good name, the news would reveal to every viewer his embarrassing situation, and his mother would never let him hear the end of it. He turned his head so even if they did catch a glimpse they would not be able to sneak a peek at his face._

_The couple stopped when they caught a glance at him, and just as quickly as they stopped did he notice a woman's gasp before her male companion dragged her ahead as they sprinted down the road. Sesshomaru felt his brow rise; he had not expected to scare them, especially in this state. If anything he expected for them to laugh, to laugh at the weak starving man sprawled along the dirty wet ground. He turned his head back before slamming his clenched fist into the ground below. "Damn," he murmured in a hissed tone, "Damn it all," he cursed before lifting his head to stare out into the dark clouded sky, the weather peppering his face with drops of rain. _

_What did he do that was so wrong that it led him to end up in this mess? Up until now he felt that he made only the best decisions when it came to his life; he attended only the best private schools, heck even his daycare was private. He tried to stay off the criminal path; one offense on his record would doom his law career in the blink of an eye. He kept himself healthy and fit through nutritious meals and daily exercises, he even donated a fair good sum of his money to a few honorable charities…or at least he thought he did._

_Was it his abundance of pride, he thought, or his profuse dignity that led him here to this wretched foul smelling alleyway? His eyes took a moment to give a deadly glare to the garbage dump that stood a few feet from him, cursing the inanimate object for stinking up the air around him. _

_Maybe if he had only asked for help from one of the shops around the city, then maybe he would be nestled comfortably in his bed with a bowl of warm soup, or enjoying the sweet sound of his music while he engaged himself with his piano. Yet no, his pride refused to be put on the line if by some unknown chance the shop keepers recognized him, and decided to announce to the closest reporter how the young Seifuku was found dripping wet in there shop, asking for directions home. That would leave a door wide open for rumors to pass through, and he would have none thinking so poorly of him. He told himself that he didn't need any help. If he could drive to the court house he as sure as hell could walk back the same way he came, or so he thought._

_A low rumble was heard and Sesshomaru lifted his muddy hand to clench his aching stomach. He had yet to eat anything since yesterday's evening meal, and the constant sounds of his stomach crying out for sustenance was beginning to annoy him. He was hungry, starving actually. He felt it one of the reasons as to why he couldn't concentrate on making his way back to his house; well that and aside from the fact that it took him over an hour to reach the court house with his speeding car. Calculate that time for him to walk all the way back to his home would be…he honestly didn't feel like doing the math._

_Plus he had to deal with his avoidance to the noticeable paparazzi he found wandering the busy streets. He made too many unknown turns down to many unrecognizable streets until nightfall had arrived and he found himself completely lost in who knows what part of the city. The large amount of 'common' folk told him that he must be in a certain section where the lower class lived, so it only made sense that he didn't know his way around. _

_Now here he was stuck in the middle between misery and despair. Cold, hungry, tired, and feeling as if he had no way out of this wretched state; like being stuck in a dark tunnel with the only light at the end being the light of an oncoming train. _

_In response to that thought he lifted his legs with a small grunt, and tied his coat around his body as he tried to suppress the shivers. Then again, he thought, maybe he was being looked for. It's been hours since he was last home, but then again he's been out much longer than just a few hours. Of course knowing how attentive Jaken could be then perhaps he was being looked for, he swore that little man followed him around as though his golden-eyed employer was the love of his life. Maybe there was hope in his dark chilly tunnel after all._

"_Well well what do we have here?" _

"_It would seem someone didn't get the memo that we don't like strangers in our territory."_

_Sesshomaru's breath hitched at the sounds of a pair of unfamiliar voices echoing off the alley walls. With a slow turn of his head he looked down the dark pathway just in time for a bolt of lightning to give him the light he needed to see two shadow-like figures walking toward him. His eyes flinched as he stood up against the wall. His mind was still in a slight daze, and his body felt weaker than he ever remembered. The sounds of footsteps got closer until he felt the collar of his shirt being yanked, and the smooth feel of a wet dagger skimmed across his cheek. Whether or not the weapon drew blood was a mystery to him. _

"_Seems like we have a black sheep in our midst boys," said the man with the dagger wedged between his knuckles with two other daggers compressed between his other fingers; almost like claws, and all combined with a wicked smile stretching his lips. "Unlike the usual penniless fools we find on the streets, this guy looks like he actually carries with him some very deep pockets." The man shoved his hands in all the pockets covering Sesshomaru's leather jacket, and even his grey slacks. All trips had the man's fingers come back empty handed; with the exception of a dead cell phone still nestled in Sesshomaru's breast pocket. All his money was still in his locked car; safe and sound, but was he? "Nothing," the man growled, "Well maybe I was wrong about you then."_

_Sesshomaru kept his voice quiet, but watched with keen interest as another…man came in front of him. "Well if you ask me Suikotsu I'd say he looks more like a white sheep to me. Look at his hair," spoke a hard yet feminine voice as Sesshomaru moved away from the prying hands trying to inspect his bangs. _

_The one trying to grasp a fistful of his hair was of a mysterious gender; their voice as low as a woman and yet Sesshomaru was able to make out their broad shoulders and hard chest. A very feminine man was all he could conclude judging from their skin tight jeans and tight yellow jacket, which looked more like a style fit for a girl. "My, what very odd hair color," the girly man implied to Sesshomaru's moonlit tresses, then he took a closer look at his face, "And you have some of the strangest tattoos I've ever seen, not to mention a yummy set of eyes," he added as he tried to trace the quarter moon on his forehead. "Well he's definitely not from around here." _

_Sesshomaru heard a small gasp slip his tongue when he felt a hand run down his chest, and lower till a pair of long fingers browsed near a very sensitive and highly private area. "I say we should play with him, up close he is very attractive," the girly man licked his color painted lips until the previous man with the dagger pushed him away. "No way Jakotsu I found this guy first," Suikotsu said before running the tip of his dagger against the pale column of Sesshomaru's neck, "It's been so long since fresh meat has entered this area, and for some reason the sight of this guy's smug look makes me want to do a real number on him."_

"_Hey, what about me," said a croaky voice from below. Sesshomaru took his gaze off the sharp weapon for a few seconds to inspect the stocky short man by his feet. His size was a tad higher than Jaken's, and his face was just as horrendous as his smell. "Did you two forget that I was the one who mentioned him to you? Let me have a crack at him, I have come up with some new products, and who better to test them on." The little man gave a sinister chuckle before he brought out a brown paper bag filled with who knows what. Sesshomaru could only guess it had to be some sort of poison, or drugs. For all he knew it could be both._

_The little man was shoved out of the way by Jakotsu's foot, "Mukotsu, you can get a fish to be your lab rat, but for now let us have fun with this guy."_

"_The only 'fun' we are going to get from him is the sounds of his pleading screams when we slice him limb from limb," Suikotsu argued._

"_Killing them is always your main objective why not enjoy them for a little while?" Jakotsu pouted._

"_Be quiet, there's plenty more cats in the alley for you to enjoy, but it's been too long since I've been able to use these." Suikotsu whipped the rainwater off from his daggers._

"_Well what about me I'm always the last man out!"_

"_Shut it Mukotsu!" the other two males shouted in unison as Sesshomaru just stared in utter shock and astonishment. _

_He couldn't believe his situation now, one man wanted to kill him, one wanted to rap him (as far as he could tell), and the other wanted to test his now 'products' out on him. Either way he was going to die, if the dagger didn't end his heart he would rather die anyway then be some man's little play toy, and as far as the little man was concerned that 'product' of his was more than likely going to kill him in the end. Sesshomaru cursed at his attackers, feeling his fingers begin to form into tight coiled fists and allowing his perfectly sculpted brows to furrow together to leave an angry scowl on his face._

_No, he would not be made an even more pathetic victim then he already felt he was. If he truly was to die than he would rather not go down as a wounded pathetic man who allowed these fools to take advantage of him. He would rather they see him as the proud skilled fighter he was taught to be. This isn't the first time he's stared face to face with men like them, but it is the first time he's ever felt this feeble. His pride was on the line however, he wouldn't give in that easily. _

_Regardless of his current state, Sesshomaru made the bold attempt of striking his fist at Suikotsu's left cheek bone when the man was too preoccupied arguing with the other two. He made fresh contact, and the sounds of bones cracking vibrated through the gang member's head. When the dagger was a reasonable distance away Sesshomaru took Jakotsu's shocked state as his chance to lift his foot against the man's flat stomach, and push him back against the opposite wall. Both members fell to the ground stunned, surprised that such a weak looking man could still possessed so much extra strength. When most of the air around him was clear, Sesshomaru used his knee to jab the short Mukotsu right under his chin, causing the man to scream in pain as blood spilled from his mouth and tongue._

"_W-What the hell," Jakotsu gasped as he clenched his aching stomach, feeling like all the air was knocked out of him for a few seconds. "I thought he was supposed to be weak." A dark chuckle had Jakotsu looking back into the alleyway, and the sight of a bald man wearing a long bandanna over his head entered his line of sight. "Brother Renkotsu, what are you doing here?"_

_Renkotsu folded his arms over his chest as he saw their prey begin to run away, "So he's a descended from one of them is he?"_

_When all was clear Sesshomaru sprinted as best he could out of the alleyway, determined to get as far away from these crooks as he could. Running was never a path he was happy to take, but most of what he did back there even surprised him, and now he felt like fighting any further would only press his luck. "Where do you think you're going?" Suikotsu rasped out as he shifted his painful position on the ground to reach out and grab his victim by his ankles, sending Sesshomaru on his knees before Suikotsu tackled him to the ground._

_The two men twisted and turned on the dirty wet gravel, causing a small raucous on the peaceful street but none dared to come out of their shops and houses to stop the gang members beating on the lonely, silver haired male. Sesshomaru did what he could in his frail exhausted state; he managed to fling Suikotsu's daggers out of his hands, and send them sliding along the pavement. He also managed to dodge a few punches and was even lucky enough to land a kick to the gang member's side. Judging by Suikotsu's quick retaliation, Sesshomaru could tell his attacks were growing weaker and weaker, and his sore arms and legs had taken its toll on his defense._

"_This is for damaging my beautiful face," Suikotsu stated as he landed a punch on Sesshomaru's left cheek, leaving a welt as red as the one plastered on his foe's face. "And this is for giving me that smug look earlier!" Suikotsu's fist made a strong impact on Sesshomaru right eye, and had it not been for his head leaning back at just the right second then he probably would have received a greater injury then just a simple black bruise._

_Jakotsu watched form the sidewalk; his dumbfounded reaction at the men fighting was countered by Renkotsu's small cocky smirk. "I don't believe it," Jakotsu mumbled, "One minute he's on the ground like a starving dog, the next he's putting up a decent fight against Suikotsu." Jakotsu gasped when Sesshomaru was able to block Suikotsu's kick with his forearms, and managed to still hold his ground. The girly man took a glance at a knocked out Mukotsu, who had his bloody mouth still open with a few loose teeth hanging out. "The fact that he took out Mukotsu was a bit surprising given his condition, but for him to be blocking Suikotsu's attacks like that…there's no way…"_

"_It's of no surprise considering what he is," Renkotsu commented when he saw Sesshomaru palm Suikotsu's fist as he pushed the other man back some. "What do you mean," Jakotsu asked from the corner of his eye, "What is he?"_

"_Is it not obvious Jakotsu; the hair color, eye color, markings. Did you believe all that extra strength was just magically given to him, you're wrong. He's stronger than a normal human; his limitations exceed that of even the strongest of men like Suikotsu."_

_Jakotsu's eye lifted up at the sudden information, and Renkotsu was never wrong with his deductions and accusations; a smarter one of the group. "So…what is he some kind of super human, a demon?"_

"_He's human enough that's for sure," Renkotsu reassured. "Like big brother, he must have come from a strong family line, but as human as he is now it's easy to see by his looks alone that his ancestors were anything but."_

"_He's descended from demons!" Jakotsu gasped. "And how can you be so sure of that, how can you be sure he still isn't one now?"_

"_Don't question my methods of reasoning dear Jakotsu," the elder one chided. "To some, demons are nothing more than legends, but others like me and big brother know better. They are extinct now, sent back to hell from once they came. However, their bloodline lived on through their offspring, and even to this day only a handful of humans still walk on this earth with their demonic heritage still coursing through their looks and veins." Renkotsu watched with keen interest as Sesshomaru was able to still pick himself up after a deadly kick to the gut. "Judging by how different this one appears from any other normal human, I would say that his demon ancestors must have carried with them a strong bloodline for it to still be visible to its descendant today."_

"_How interesting," Jakotsu smiled, "Like big brother and his mercenary family line."_

"_Correct," Renkotsu agreed before reaching behind his back to pull out a simple pistol gun from the back of his pants. "I always knew a simple thing like this would come in handy one day."_

"_Wait, you're not actually thinking of killing him are you?" Jakotsu watched as Renkotsu polished up his silver 642 pistol gun, a small weapon but carried out its job well. He was the second in command next to their big brother; he was the go to one for information, the smartest of the group, and the biggest gun fanatic of them all. _

"_I wouldn't mind having a little fun, plus I think if we let him live he will prove to be a bigger pest once his strength is back up." Renkotsu watching in sheer amusement as Sesshomaru's defenses finally went down, and Jakotsu chuckled some when Suikotsu was finally able to land some decent punches on his victim's ribs and face. _

"_Well it's about time you finally made a comeback Suikotsu," Jakotsu teased from the side line. "Shut up!" the man shouted back as he lifted his foot to send Sesshomaru sprawling along the wet gravel; fresh bruises marinated his face and hands, while most of his jacket and cloths were shredded in some areas while caked with blood in others. "Dammit," Suikotsu cursed when he went to rub a few sore areas on his own beat up body. "You…you freak I don't know where all that strength suddenly came from, but I can see now that you have reached your limit." The gang member laughed viciously as he neared Sesshomaru's body, before coiling his fist to slam his knuckles on Sesshomaru's blue moon, sending him back a few good feet until the golden eye man lay underneath the bright light of the corner street's light pole._

_Sesshomaru gasped out when the back of his head hit the solid concrete, and coughed when the taste of blood entered his mouth. He didn't have to see how terrible his face must have looked; he could feel the pain coursing from his cheeks to his nose and eyes. A trail of blood ran down his nose, and not even the smallest twitch of his fingers was able to be made. He had surpassed his limits, grateful that he had one of 'those' moments to prove that he was not some whimpering puppy. That moment when he felt like some unknown force had suddenly provided him with extra stamina when he needed it most. It had happened many times before. During his tennis tournaments when he felt like his game would continue on forever until he felt a rush of power course through his arms that led him to score the winning point, or the seasons during his kendo class when he managed to win his way up to the championships having felt such a surge of energy beat at his heart at the feel of a sword in his hands, even if it was just a wooden one._

_He felt himself cough out more blood, and watched as he turned his head to see it mix in the puddle of water next to him. If only he had his kendo sword now, if only he had food sustaining his stomach and his originally strength pounding against his muscles then maybe he would have had a better chance at making out of this mess. He couldn't move, he could barely keep his eyes open. The rain sprayed his body, and he felt himself hallucinate more than once thinking the bright street light above was his next worldly destination. _

"_That's enough Suikotsu," Renkotsu stepped in; visible to Sesshomaru's hazy gaze. He watched through half lidded eyes as the man with the bandanna lifted a gun in the air, his instincts telling him to run but his body disobeyed the strict orders. Renkotsu walked up to Sesshomaru, stopping just where the light of the pole light had subsided. Renkotsu stared at his fallen prey; Sesshomaru's body sprawled on the ground practically begged to be taken by death, though the wounded man seemed like the type that would never admit to such a thing as that. _

"_Hey, no way Renkotsu," Suikotsu protested "I fought this guy to the ground, I'm the one who deserves to kill him!"_

"_You lost that privilege when he knocked your weapons out of your hands," the elder one countered, "Once you get them back I will have already killed him."_

_Suikotsu growled at his loss, but decided against arguing further with the man holding a gun. He rubbed all the sore spots he had as he walked back to where Jakotsu stood behind Renkotsu. Sesshomaru watched keenly as the man lifted his arm to aim the barrel at his head, and for a few seconds time seem to have stopped for him. Was this truly how he was supposed to die; in a street he had no name for, by people he hardly knew? In a flash he remembered many diverse things in his life, some he thought about daily while others he would have never guessed he'd remember again. _

_His powerful father; his strong noble visage and the few proud smiles Sesshomaru remembered when they would play the piano together. His beautiful mother; her spicy personality and flaring attitude that had him always feeling a mix of pride and exasperation every time he dealt with her. He never did get to thank her for buying him that white European Bosendorfer piano for his twentieth birthday, considering that he received it at his pent house while he was still attending the university. He wondered if after he died, if she would find her black and pink bedazzled hair dryer hidden deep within his closet that he had planned to save for her surprise birthday gift. Knowing her and her nosy ways, maybe she already found out about it. He wondered how sad she would be after she found out he was dead. Would she cry tears of despair, or leave her make-up in proper place until the late night moments had her spill a drop or two from her eyes. That's how she acted when his father died, and with that thought he wondered if he would see his father in the next world. Is that how death worked?_

_Sesshomaru heard the sounds of a twist coming from the gun._

_Valedictorian of his class, king of prom, voted most likely to succeed, best looking, and most popular by his classmates in high school. He remembered the good, and the bad. The bullies that were three grades above him who decided to beat up on the 'Casper' that decided to attend their elite school three years earlier than normal. The few students who scowled at him after he received awards and scholarships that they deemed he wasn't in true need of had they only known his mother refused to allow any of their personal fund to go to his education, it was something she had him pay for himself if he wanted to make it to the top. The tennis coaches that worked with him to get his body into proper shape, and the kendo masters that helped him focus his mind till both his powerful muscles and intellectual brain became one. His graduation which his mother, as well as the entire house-hold staff and work attorneys attended; Jaken was nearly in tears when he was handed his diploma. _

_His large amount of fan girls that would beg to go on a date with him, the very few who actually did and became his girlfriend for a good month and a half before he grew tired of her. The few flings and one night stands he had; something that he would rather not think about if he hoped to go to a better place after this. _

_His university…he wouldn't miss it entirely. His life there was filled with books, tests, and hard stone cold teachers. Everyone was everyone's enemy, and one man's bad decision was another man's blackmail. Nobody cared about you; even if a group of friends looked happy together one day; the very next week that same group of friends would be giving each other the evil eye in the lecture halls. The university life was cruel to those who wanted to fit in, and was humble to those (like him) only wanted to get it over and done with. He remembered the parties that opened doors to humiliating pictures and scared reputations, and the daily rumors that made it to the school's head news line on the paper. _

_Nobody cared for you, and that was just how it was. Sesshomaru stared at the gun barrel aimed at his face; wondering how many seconds had passed since anything had happened. His gaze shifted from the weapon to the few people starring out their windows, some simple home owners while others stared out from their shops and dinners._

_A man was beaten on their road a few minutes ago, they didn't care. _

_He now lay helpless as a gun was pointed at his head…they didn't give two fucks about that either. _

_Their bodies betrayed what their mind said was right, but obviously they didn't care. Their sad faces would melt away with the rain pretty soon after he was dead and gone anyway. One thing university life taught him, nobody cared. Maybe in a time way far back, when the words 'I love you' were truly meant and vows were spoken with honesty and pride, but not anymore. Nobody cared._

_Sesshomaru heard the trigger click when time suddenly progressed through his vision, and he closed his eyes one final time. _

_Nobody…_

"_STOP!"_

_The rest of the second that Sesshomaru expected to hear a gun pop was instead filled with a complete silence, and he opened his eyes to see who the bearer of the scream was. It was feminine, and his eyes first drew to the girly man, but then shifted his gaze when the entire group stared to the opposite corner across the street. His eyes followed theirs until his golden pupils settled on her._

_There clad in a simple pair of light blue jeans, a soft lavender cotton sweater, and hot pink canvas sneakers was a young woman who carried with her a small purse hung from her shoulder, and an umbrella in her hands. Her legs trembled, a vivid sight even from far away, and even in the state that Sesshomaru was in, even he could spot her gulping down her unsure decision. _

"_Please," she pleaded from across the street, "Please, stop. Leave him alone, I'm begging you!"_

_For a moment all was quiet, and Sesshomaru kept his gaze on the foolish girl across the street. She seemed to be at a fair height for a woman, but could tell from her wide glassy brown eyes and soft colored fashion style that she was much too innocent than the rest of the woman he's known in his life. Perhaps his age, maybe younger, who knows? Regardless, to him she was just a naïve stupid girl; one that should have known better than to get herself involved with something like this. He heard the group before him begin to laugh devilishly; and Sesshomaru felt a pinch reach its way to his heart when he looked back to see the girl bend her head down in a humiliated demeanor. _

_They were laughing at her; she, a simple young woman who only seemed like she wanted one less life to be taken in this world, and they mocked her for it. Mocked her for her bravery, her stupidity, and noble gestures that many would think was a foolish deed committed by someone who didn't think twice before acting. That was the only conclusion Sesshomaru could come up with at the moment; she didn't think straight, and now she was only being dragged into this hellhole with him, their only escape being through death. _

"_Get out," Sesshomaru muttered through blood stained lips, "Get out of here…" He wasn't sure if she had heard him or not, but whether or not she did he saw her head slowly rise to meet his. "Leave," he ordered harshly, feeling his stomach sink at the sight of water trickling down her rosy cheeks. He couldn't understand why she was crying; he was the one who had a gun aimed at his head…or…was that her reason for crying? She shook her head with a shiver, her hands trembling against the umbrella's handle, and her legs were as stiff as two poles. She was scared, he could tell, and the men in front of him only laughed at her for it; all except Renkotsu who simply smirked at the girl's stupidity. She was stupid, Sesshomaru cursed; she could do absolutely nothing to help him, and now her only use would be to keep away the loneliness when they both passed on to the afterlife. She was going to die too, and the thought of having her death on his conscious, after she did the one thing that no one else had the courage to do…_

_Sesshomaru blinked away the water that was gathering in his eyes; he did not cry, he couldn't remember the last time he did. Maybe after he found out his father wasn't coming home one night, he wasn't sure, but either way it was a weakness that he preferred to stray away from._

_It was raining; obviously a lot of rain had hit his face, which was the reason for the drops of liquid he felt rolling down his cheeks. Even if those drops were a bit warm, he didn't care; it was the rain. _

"_Ha, I never figured this guy would need a littler hero to come rescue him," Jakotsu mocked before stepping out from the sidewalk to approach the shivering young woman on the other side. Sesshomaru felt his brows crease at the man's close proximity to her. He tried his best to open his mouth in protest to leave the girl alone, but all he heard was the splatter of blood oozing from his lips. "Run," he mouthed, but the woman's eyes were more concerned with the devilish womanly man that strode to her in the pouring rain. The occasional streaks of lighting jolting the girl a bit until Sesshomaru watched helplessly as Jakotsu grabbed the girl by the collar of her sweater to yank her face close to his._

"_You should have run away while you had the chance. I even took a few shorter steps just to get here, but I see that you must be very eager to die if you did not take advantage of my generosity." Jakotsu lifted the girl by the chin to get a good look at her face. "You're not half bad looking either, lucky for you I am more attracted to my own gender…but I wouldn't say the same for my brothers over there." Sesshomaru's eyes widened when his ears picked up the faint conversation going on a few feet away. He wouldn't allow it, he wouldn't allow for these men to take advantage of her. To kill her was one thing, but to kill after molestation…he wouldn't allow it. Sesshomaru heaved his chest up, but groaned in pain when a hard black boot was placed on his forehead to send him falling back down on the sidewalk._

"_Don't do anything stupid now," Renkotsu warned, "You know as well as we do that you can do nothing for her. It was all her fault anyway, thinking she could save you. I wouldn't worry about it though; I bet you must care deeply over what happens to your little rescuer, so I'll make sure you get an eye full of what we'll do to her before I kill you both off." Sesshomaru squirmed under Renkotsu's boot, gritting his teeth as he closed one of his eyes when he felt a wound from his forehead leak blood. The gang member laughed at the pathetic sight, while Suikotsu ran to retrieve his fallen weapons. "It's all a matter of time," Renkotsu aimed the barrel of his gun at his victim again; flicking his wrist as though he was shooting at him in a mock display of harsh humor. _

"_Hey, Renkotsu!"_

"_What is it now?" The gang member turned his head toward the direction of Jakotsu, who set down the girl as he gazed at her in an almost puzzled manner. "I could be mistaken but…I think this little mouse is big brother's tutor."_

"_What," Suikotsu intervened, "You mean that bookworm quiet girl brother Bankotsu found hidden in the library; that tutor?"_

"_I think so," Jakotsu answered before he lifted the girl's chin up. Their sizes were a few inches off, enough that the woman had to strain to meet Jakotsu's eyes, "Well mousy, are you the tutor that's been helping out leader pass his classes this past school semester?"_

_The woman shivered under the gang member's gaze, but a small nod was made. Jakotsu hummed as he stood up straight before turning his head. "So she is, what should we do now Renkotsu? You think big bro will be mad if we kill off his tutor?"_

_Renkotsu closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a breathy sigh before coming to a decision. "More than likely, every other smart girl was too scared to do it; not that forcing them to do brother's biddings would have gotten him as far into his education as this one got him….let her go."_

"_Hmm," Jakotsu grumbled, "Looks like your station in our group got you out of this missy; don't go trying to be a silly little hero again." Jakotsu tussled the girl's brown wet hair before he turned to head back to his group. Sesshomaru watched the scene unfold; a spark of relief danced in his honey-depth eyes. At least she would be safe, but he still found it funny. A moment ago he was so worried over his own death he cursed those that wouldn't help him. Now that he found someone who was willing to try, in a strange twist of events he now only wanted her as far away from this scene as possible. Is this what dying felt like; did it melt one's heart like he felt his was melting?_

_Jakotsu stopped in his tracks when he didn't hear the patter of feet tap against the puddled pavements, and turned to see the girl still standing in her same position, not an inch moved. "What are you still doing here, do you want to die?"_

"_Please," she begged, her head bowed, "Please don't kill that man….please please please I beg of you let him go."_

_This time it was Renkotsu who opposed against the girl's request, "Watch him Suikotsu, and don't go making any moves less I say." Renkotsu walked across the street, and joined Jakotsu to stare down at the whimpering kitten. Sesshomaru felt dumbstruck, why did she stay…for him…why? "Get out of-" He felt another boot hit his chest. "You stay down, you're lucky I'm not slicing your tongue out…yet," Suikotsu threatened. _

"_Listen here girl you got lucky, now asking for us to release a man that was seen traveling on our territory is pushing it. Leave now or I might have to change my mind on letting you go." Renkotsu and Jakotsu stared at the shivering girl before them. Both her hands clutched tightly to her umbrella, as if some sort of life support, and her knees buckled in pure fright. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you girl! Get out of here or-"_

"_I'll stop tutoring!" she yelled back as her face slumped down, unable to look into their eyes. "I'll stop tutoring you leader…if y-you don't let him g-g-go. Please, please let him go! If you do I'll…I'll help Bankotsu out in all his classes, not just one or two…and I'll…I'll do it for the whole year…"_

"_Wow, you play a hard bargain there little miss," Jakotsu teased with a sly smile. "Considering that you will have a hard enough time keeping up with your own school work, now you want to handle big brother's, and you know he'll take advantage of your offer to where he'll work you to the bone till you won't have enough brain power left to do your own work."_

"_I'll do it," she confessed in a low tone, obvious to Sesshomaru's hearing. "I'll tutor him all of the next year if I have to, please just…don't kill him…"_

"_Huh, why should we console with your agreement," Renkotsu disputed, "Your trying out patience girl, big brother can always find someone else anyway, and he most certainly wouldn't be happy if you quite on him now would he. He might even be angry enough to destroy a certain flower shop in the neighborhood." Sesshomaru watched in bafflement as the girl's eyes sky rocketed up in horror, "NO! Please don't I…don't…please." A fresh leak of tears poured down the young woman's red cheeks; each drop was like a drip of lemon juice that Sesshomaru felt being rubbed all over his wounds. It was painful to see her cry… "Don't cry," he mumbled softly. "Hey you shut up," Suikotsu snapped._

"_Please…" she sobbed; her head hung low in defeat, "Please no more killing…please…"_

_The sinister sounds of Renkotsu's laughter followed soon behind, and Sesshomaru growled low in his sore throat. Don't laugh at her, he thought; unprepared for what he head next. "Very well then," he replied. The woman's head lifted slowly up in pure astonishment, and Jakotsu's mouth fell open in response. "Very well?" Jakotsu repeated, "But-but…"_

"_Come along now dear Jakotsu," Renkotsu sternly said, "we don't want to keep big brother waiting." Renkotsu took one last look behind him to see the girl still staring at him with wide teary eyes. "Enough of your pathetic tears; that precious shop of yours is safe for now, but be prepared," he warned, "big brother will be in need of your services very soon." Renkotsu walked back across the street with Jakotsu following close behind. The elder member took one look at Suikotsu's stunned look of surprise, and bypassed Sesshomaru's stare of bewilderment. _

"_Wipe that stupid look off your face Suikotsu and lets go," he ordered, "and don't forget about Mukotsu."_

_The men began to make their way back into the alleyway, their path growing darker with every step they took. "I don't get it Renkotsu," Jakotsu finally asked, "Why did you let them go?" Suikotsu followed close after with Mukotsu on his back, "Growing soft on us are you?"_

"_Don't be ridiculous, though you both may not have found her threat to be so risky, she is the smartest student in that little college. She sealed her fate when she said she would tutor brother Bankotsu for a whole year. Her grades will drop dramatically as she works on brother's school work, and her GPA will go down by each semester. Don't you both see; her rank will go downhill while big brother's rank will shoot up. Pretty soon he will be at the top of his class, and his good grades means he will be better connected with his high class, business owning family. The better he stays connected with them, the faster it is ensured that he is named the next owner of the business. So do you both see now?"_

_His only response was a pair of dumbfound looks._

"_If Bankotsu gets his hands on his family's company then we could own more than just this tiny little street, think of the power, money, superiority we'll have…but I wouldn't expect you two to understand. Let us go meet up with the others, I'm sure big brother will be in glee to hear the news we have."_

"_Not to mention the new challenge that will probably be back on his feet soon after this. I think Bankotsu would love to have a shot at him."_

"_That he will dear Jakotsu, I had a feeling that he would not be too happy to hear that he got no piece of the action so I decided on letting him live out his life a little longer," Renkotsu nodded, "I'm sure this won't be the last time we see that interesting man, or that fidgety girl. Like killing two birds with one stone. "_

_(Back under the light pole)_

_It was no use, this was his third time trying but just like the last two he only ended up falling on his side again. Never before did he think that it would hurt so much just to stand. He was sure his legs were bleeding; his fine tailored suit had been cut in more places than he was willing to count, and the pain that coursed through his body proved that he had more cuts than he was aware of. His shoes were more than likely ruined, a good couple of hundred dollars down the drain, or in this case rain gutters. Mostly every part of himself was covered in red below his tattered grey jacket. He whipped his forehead, only to grunt when he noticed he smeared blood across his head and hair. His cheeks were slashed by that wretched man with the daggers, but most of the other bloody scratches came from the brawl he had on the hard gravel ground that bruised his arms, legs, and especially his back. _

_Despite the pain, the few broken ribs he knew he had made it far worse to lie on his stomach, so he settled with just keeping his position on the ground after his third fall. His body spread, his back on the ground, and his one good hand lay on his growling stomach. Food was still at the top of his mind, as was the idea if whether or not he was going to be found and make it out of this unpredictable mess. He had yet to see any signs of cars, but his mother had mentioned once that the poorer side of the city didn't commute with cars. They took some underground subway or something pertaining to that, he couldn't remember. He just wanted to sleep. _

_That girl…she must have left he thought. Why wouldn't she; she had gotten what she wanted. He was alive, and oddly enough…she saved him. He wasn't even able to thank her, though he was never one to word his gratitude very well. She was safe, and now he only felt his eyes close as he tried to think back at the emotions that clung to his heart like strings of glue. He felt saddened for her when she cried, and he wanted nothing more to see that she was anywhere but near those men. "Hn," he huffed in a low voice, "must be the emotions that come to someone who thinks they are about to die." That had to be it, he thought he was dying so of course he was going to get a little emotional, but now he found that he had a while longer to live. He threw aside those emotions, that girl should have known better than to come here. It was a mere accident, an unlikely accident._

"_H-Hi," spoke a sweet, soft voice that had his eye lids open in automatic surprise. The girl was right next to him, her shoes only a few inches from his elbows! "Oh, I'm sorry d-did I scare you?" He stared at her in pure amazement; what in the world was she doing back…or did she ever even leave? She played her part and got those crooks away from him, what else did she want…money…too bad for her he didn't have any on him. His perfectly sculpted brow rose at that interesting thought, perhaps she wanted an reward for saving the stranger whose jacket-tattered or not- looking of much higher price than her entire outfit put together. He kept his mouth quiet, hopping she would be like those stray cats in the alley and just leave him alone when she found that he had nothing to give, not even a word of thanks. She only did it for the reward in helping him; why else would she do it, why should he thank her._

"_Are…are you alright?" His brow arched again at her ridiculous question, if her definition of 'alright' meant that he felt like every bone in his body was crushed under the weight of a thousand brick stones…than he felt just peachy. Though he longed to counter her foolish question, he found he wasn't able to express his cocky reply. Something about the way she asked him made it sound like she truly was worried over his condition. Her expression was a symphony of concern, pain, and pity all composed into one full tone of voice that turned his stomach inside out, and yet at the same time made his heart beater faster than he remembered. He decided to inspect her further. _

_Pink canvas sneakers with white rubber supports underneath, yellow laces and little green dragonflies sewn into the back, and a simple pair of sky blue jeans that fit the curves of her long legs just right; she was fairly tall, a good height for a young woman. Her lavender cotton wool sweater seemed thick enough to keep her from the bitter cold, and with the street light now upon her he was able to make out the few white glitter oval designs that circled around the area of her shoulders and near her stomach. She looked of average weight, not pencil skinny, but not overly large; a near perfect fit for her size. He inspected her small leather beige accessory bag with brown butterflies sew on the opening flap, and took note that it looked like the most expensive thing she wore. The long strap hung from the opposite end of her shoulders as the bag itself was supported near her hip. He chestnut brown hair shinned against the light, and went as far down as to her mid-back area; a small pink bow ribbon held up a long ponytail on the side of her head, that hung down to the length of her hair. Odd hairstyle, he thought, very odd. Her entire fashion was odd, almost on the child-like side, but she obviously wasn't a child. Her voice was as soft as a flute, and she clad herself with soft warm and cool colors. She dressed as soft and as sweet as her personality seemed. Nice soft bright colors that fit someone like her; like him in his usual black or grey business suites or the occasional white school uniform or white dress shirt over black slacks. _

_Last but not least he inspected her face, the girly gang member being correct in his statement how this woman was not bad looking. He's seen and been with far more beautiful, but he deemed this girl to be very pretty for a commoner…very. Nice peachy skin, unblemished round cheeks, small pink mouth, and eyes as wide and brown as the almonds that he found his mother eating when she was on one of her diets. This woman's eyes; so lively, so full of intense depth he had to wonder what she was thinking about, yet in the end only one question surfaced to his mouth._

"_Where did you get that atrocious umbrella?" _

_Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the white daisy umbrella, the rain water poring over the plastic flower gave it an almost realistic impression that the flower was covered in dew drops. The most ridiculous thing he felt he ever saw, yet in a strange way he couldn't help but almost chuckle at the thought of her owning it; she would own something as ridiculous and charming as a daisy umbrella. He watching in amusement as her cheeks grew warm at his comment, and twirled her umbrella in response before slowly getting on her knees beside him so she could share whatever shelter she had. "Oh this, it…it was a gift for my sixteenth birthday. M-my grandmother gave it to me." _

_His eyes flickered at her answer; was in common for the poorer folk to receive umbrellas during their birthday. She made it seem like that is how the world worked judging by her silly grin over the plastic thing, it was astonishing to see her so proud of a five dollar piece of equipment that hardly proved its use considering he still felt some rain pour on him. He too had an original black umbrella that was safely nudged in the back seat of his locked car; he didn't remember where exactly he got it. Maybe from the small fashion shoot he did a while back where rain-wear was the main theme. He doubt he ever received something like that for a birthday gift. He got his first Ferrari for his sixteenth birthday, he remembered how the red and white car paint shun that day as he drove his brand new vehicle till his heart's content through the sunny open roads. Sure would be nice if this commoner before him owned a car instead of an umbrella. Then she could do him the kind honor of driving him home, but it would seem he had no such luck. All she could do was cover both their dripping wet bodies with an umbrella only fit for one. When all was seen he merely allowed his gaze to drift up as he closed his eye once more._

"_I'm sorry," she said past the racked of dripping rain. He turned his head over to face her once again. "For what?" Sesshomaru found himself replying in an almost gentle way, never once following through when he felt his condescending demeanor wanting to push its way past the tone of his lips. It was the way she spoke to him, the way she looked and sounded that made him wonder if she truly did just help him out of the kindness of her heart. That can't be true though, the world has proven to him more than once that people don't care about other people out of the goodness of their heart; they just care about what was in return for their compassion. _

"_I'm sorry that…I wasn't able to stop them from hurting you the way they did." He flash of confusion rattled through his bruised spine as he watched as she moved her umbrella to where it only covered him now, the rain already soaking into part of her shirt. "You did what you could," he opposed in a stern yet tender tone of voice. That was as close to an apology as he felt he could express, and again not knowing why he felt the needs to console her. Like as if she was blaming this whole mess on herself when it was really fate's cruel way of punishing him for swearing on a few occasions how he had to be the luckiest man in the world. This only proved that luck was just another myth, and payback was just another bastard. _

_The sounds of rustling fabric came to his ears, and he opening his eyes to see the girl begin to open her small shoulder bag, and reach into it and pull out a small orange handkerchief with odd streams of colors on it. He tried to open his mouth and ask away at the obvious of what exactly she planned to do with that, but her actions beat him to it when he felt the soft fabric touch the area where his busted lip was. "Is the sight of my blood so grotesque to you?" he muttered past the cloth whipping away red to bring back his pale set of lips. The rain water acted as a good source of water to cleanse the fabric before he felt her use it on him again, this time on his forehead where he smeared a long road of blood across his blue moon. "No…I-I mean…well I thought you might feel better if most of your wounds were whipped off. I'm sorry to say I don't have a first aid kit on me, or any band aids."_

"_I actually feel better knowing you didn't constantly carry them around, considering I'm putting most of my life in your hands."_

_He heard her laugh at what he said, he had hoped it would bring some sort of light back into her. She looked at him as though he were dying, but far from it to say the least. He felt the cloth give one final lap at his forehead until he saw her move her arms to cleanse it in the rain. "I….," he heard her gulp down a swallow, "I should have helped much sooner. I could have helped you much sooner before that man started beating you on the road." His mind felt lost for a few seconds as she went to whip away the blood on his cheek; the fabric on her fingers gliding over his cheek in a such a tender way, almost like a caress. All the while she held her umbrella in her hands to shield him from the rain. "I was behind the corner of that building across the street…when I saw you lying in the alleyway." His eyes raised some, but other than that he kept quiet as he listened. _

"_When I first saw you I was going to help, b-but then I saw those men come near you. I know them," she explained, "Their leader is a young man named Bankotsu who attends my college down the road and his family are owners of a military corporation located in this part of the city." Sesshomaru listened on at her story, and he had heard of there being a very private corporation that stood in the East, but as far as he's heard it was no big threat considering he's yet to hear of a client walking through his father's law firm complaining about the business. _

"_I have helped tutor Bankotsu in the past semester, and I've seen his gang before at the school so I recognized them. They're ruthless and like to think of this street as their own."_

"_I see that now," Sesshomaru said, understanding now why that couple ran away. They did not run from him, they ran because they knew better. It would also explain why there was a low rate of people that traveled on this street, and why the people in the shops didn't help him at first glance. They knew better. It sounds like this girl knew better as well, but if that was the case why did she step in at all if she knew of the consequences. _

"_I'm sorry," she apologized again, this time leaving no room for his protests. He felt her whip at his other cheek in the same tender motion she used before. "The truth is I was afraid…I was afraid of what they would do to me so I just stood there and watched as you were beaten to the ground." He listened as she stiffened a sob; the very same emotion as before clung to his chest at the sight of her tears. "I just watched, unable to move, unable to go for help…It…it wasn't until I saw them point a gun at you that I just felt myself move, and my voice went crazy."_

_Sesshomaru kept his voice still, having heard more than enough to get a clearer picture across his mind. So her first thoughts were not on the awards she could receive from him, in fact she openly confessed that she was afraid to intervene. So what made her decide in the end? She seemed as lost to that question as he was. "You're not hurt?" he abruptly asked just as she lifted the cloth from his face. The girl smiled down at him, a perfect smile that he felt he could not look away from. It looked so…real. The liveliest smile he felt he had seen in a long time, like she meant every stretch and pull that she made to her lips, a beautiful upturned line that had him keeping his eyes awake as to not miss a single second of her sweet facial expression. _

"_No I'm not hurt, and thank you for what you did back there. I could tell that you were trying to shoo me away. M-Mind if I ask what your name is?"_

_Sesshomaru felt himself cough out loud at her question, an action which the woman quickly tended to by patting his chest rapidly. He could barely believe her, and yet he supposed it only made sense that she didn't know who he was. She was a commoner, so she probably would not have been able to afford his family's law firm even if she did need it. So she didn't know who he was, or maybe she just didn't recognize hm. It made him wonder why she was doing what she was doing again. He could have been a poor homeless man and maybe she still would have saved him. Maybe, he didn't know, her actions contradicted what he had thought to be a fact of life. Is there such a thing as a good person in this world?_

"_My name in unimportant," he responded, the words slipping past his tongue left such a foreign taste to his mouth. He never thought he would say such a thing about his name, especially his family name. Yet he did not want to take the chance and have her find out who he really was. He felt he should be lucky enough that those gang members didn't recognize him, or perhaps they were just too stupid to realize that holding him for ransom would bring them to thousands to millions of dollars. "Oh," was all the girl replied at first before she flashed him a slightly more faker smile than the one he previously saw. "Yes of course, I understand with you being hurt. I bet the last thing you want to do is….is…OH!"_

_Sesshomaru jerked at her sudden burst of shock, wondering if she had finally realized who she was addressing. _

"_I'm so sorry, all this time I've been tending to you when I should have gone straight for help! Don't worry I'll head to the nearest building and ask that someone-"_

"_Don't!" he exclaimed past his aching throat muscles, "Don't you dare…get anyone else to see me like this…" He wouldn't have it. After all he's sacrificed for his self-respect; having someone recognized him now, bleeding and broken, would shatter the last remaining strand of dignity he had left. If he thought it was bad enough to think of word getting out about him getting lost in the city, he cringed at the thought of word getting out about someone finding him beaten to a bloody pulp in the duller side of town. A town not fit for one such as himself, the headlines would destroy years of work that he put into stabilizing his good name, his appearance, and his status in this forever changing world. The rumors, he could hear them now; 'where exactly was he to be found like that so late at night' says the snotty ladies from his mother's tea club, or 'exactly what kind of people does that family associate themselves with' says the clients right before they step foot outside his building to look for a more well respected law firm. Then there is of course his all-time favorite, 'looks like the big law boss's heir is still not quite tough enough to reach the pedestal his father had built' says his law competition. NO, he would not have that going around._

"_No, but you need help!" the woman argued just as she lifted herself up to look down at him, but he countered her argument with one of his more violent stares. A stare that proved that he meant what he said and that was final, but the young woman held her stance firmly. "Look at you you're hurt, let me get someone from one of the buildings nearby to at least help me carry you into a warm dry place."_

"_I'd rather become part of the trash that floods down the rain gutters than have someone look at me." He closed his eyes and took in his sentence, meaning every word. Well at the very least he would be able to find his car keys then._

"_I don't understand," she mumbled while lifting her hands to her beating heart, "Why don't you want help, you might die if you stay out here!"_

"_Then let it be so!" he spat back, obviously showing her his rougher sides despite the ache at his heart when he saw her flinch at his harsh tone of voice. "Just mind your own business, you wouldn't understand…" His turned his head from her, his dripping wet bangs clinging to his eyes to shield his face from her view. She wouldn't understand, how could she, she was just a commoner; all she had to worry about in life was school, bills, and half price sales at the supermarket. He had to worry about keeping his family name intact, passing his law school with the highest degree to live up to his father's limitless reputation as a ruthless and skilled lawyer, and prepare himself for the life of a workaholic attorney. The farthest he could see her go would be as an owner of a small simple store, he had to own and maintain a world class law company. She would never understand._

_His morning could either go one of two ways from here. Either he is healed enough to find his way home, or there won't even be a morning for him to wake up to. He heard the girl's voice reach his ears again, meaning she had yet to do as he said. "If you're angry that someone didn't help you before, they were only afraid of those men. Even now they are scared to come out because they think the gang is still somewhere nearby. Please forgive them and allow someone to help you, I am no nurse I can't-"_

"_It is not that," he interrupted in a lower tone, feeling himself give in to the depression that threatened to overtake him. In the end he knew he was not making any sense with himself, he hated the people that didn't help him but at the same time he would have hated the ones who would have seen him if they did lend him a hand. His pride made him contradict himself a lot, one of the things he felt he could not escape or fight against. "Just leave," he muttered, closing his eyes in hopes that she would listen, "Leave me alone."_

_For a while he heard nothing but the sounds of the rain hitting the concrete, and the sounds of new puddles being formed. After a few moments, his chest rose when he heard the sounds of footsteps drift away from him. She was gone…and why should he feel so surprised. He told her to leave, shooing her away like he did the neighborhood dogs that would accompany him in the playground during his more 'harder' years in school. A feeling of loneliness crept into him, but just like all the other times he rebuilt his stone wall that blocked any emotional features that threatened to attack his face. Refusing to look like the lack of the girl's presence hurt him in any way. Minutes passed, and he fought the urge to count how long it had been since she left. He scolded his hope in her return. She obviously knew that she wasn't going to receive no money from him in return so why should she have stayed. He may have just done her a favor, no longer wasting her time like he had. He reopened one eye, and looked to the side to see that she truly was gone, but to his surprise he also noticed that the light had dimmed from above him. Out of curiosity he looked up to see what had become of his only source of warmth and discovered a giant daisy flower shielding his face from the rain._

_That stupid girl, he thought, she left her umbrella behind. _

_He thought that his cheeks felt a tad dryer than before, but with the constant pecks of water his face grew numb of any feeling for a while. He thought back on how she tended to the wounds on his face, and relished in the memory of her fingers sliding across his skin through that orange cloth of hers. Her handy work cleared much of the blood on his face, and her ministrations were gentle and filled with care. As if hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. He shook his head at his thought process, yet again scolding himself for allowing his mind to wander back to her. He didn't need her, and she didn't care for him anyway. She was gone, and he shouldn't give a damn whether she would come back or not. It shouldn't matter to him. _

_A commoner; that is all she is…a beautiful commoner. His brow rose, since when did her beauty status change from pretty to beautiful. More than likely after he saw her smile, it was something that caught his eye faster than the art pieces displayed in high-class museum exhibits. It was everything he never thought a smile could be, real, radiant, and represented her honest happiness instead of just using it to cover up her true emotions like he found himself doing in photo-shoots. His mind wavered on, until realization donned on him that the umbrella was lifted from its perched little spot against the light pole, and a silhouette figure stared down at him from above. _

_He blinked a few times as his lips parted slightly; it couldn't be…_

"_I-I thought you might be hungry," spoke a remarkable familiar sweet voice while Sesshomaru blinked to prove to himself that he wasn't just hallucinating. The way the light from above illuminated her hair and face, absolutely angelic._

"_What are you doing back here?" he whispered, "I told you to leave." He noticed her fiddling her hands inside what appeared to be a plastic bag at her side, before pulling out a medium sized cup with a hard lid on it. _

"_Well about that...your stomach called me back here. Sounded like a dinosaur," she giggled, trying to brighten the mood and relive his face of the shock, and slightly embarrassed expression. His eyes were drawn to the beige cup in her hands, and felt his mouth water when he saw her lift the black lid to allow a large amount of steam to lift into the air. She blew against it once or twice, and then mumbled something about it still being warm until she closed the lid and set it back in the plastic bag. His mind raced with questions. Why did she put it back, was it her food, was she going to eat in front of him as payback for telling her to leave him alone or having nothing to give her in return? If that were all true than she was much more deceitful than she seemed. There was food only a few feet from his mouth, and he couldn't reach it…the torture._

"_Here," she calmly indicated as she yet again got on her knees, much closer to his head this time, and pointed at her lap. His gazed at her with quizzical eyes, causing her to shake her head and sigh. He felt the urge to move away when her hands came near his face, but remained still considering he had yet to feel her harm him. He felt her fingers brush against the back of his head before lifting him up slightly until he felt his head lay on something much softer and much more comfortable than the concrete ground. "There," she smiled with a pink blush as she stared down at his head in her lap, "Now it will be easier to get some food into you."_

_His brows rose in ambiguity, mostly out of relief over knowing that he was going to eat, but another part of him though just who exactly was feeding who. He was far from an infant, "I can do that myself," he stated with a hard pout. No way was she feeding him like he was a helpless child. He saw her smile waver, and noticed her own brow arch, "Are you sure?" He nodded his head sternly, but a twinge of pain scrunched his nose when he tried lifting his arms. He felt like cinderblocks were strapped to his limps, the most he could lift was half way, nowhere near enough to reach the food. After his fifth or sixth attempt at lifting his arms he sighed and allowed them to drop to the ground. All the while the woman just looked up to the dark sky as if she was just waiting for the truth to unveil itself before his eyes, he couldn't move. _

"_The rain is letting up," she noticed having seen the amount of water falling from the sky turn into a light sprinkle, "It's also getting pretty late, almost midnight," she explained as she looked at a silver pocket watch hidden in her bag. _

"_Shouldn't you be getting home," Sesshomaru inquired, rather frustrated to know that he was having difficulty doing things for himself. He should heal soon, he's always been a fast healer; during one of his tennis matches both he and his opponent had a nasty fall on the court. He got a broken arm while his opponent only received a twisted ankle; they both healed at the same time rate, surprising his doctors, team mates, and coaches. Judging by these wounds, he would guestimate that his time of healing would take a little over a week. If his hunger didn't kill him before then that is._

_A low rumbled vibrated against his body, causing a stiffened giggle to spew through pink lips before his glare had the girl's amusement quieting down. He felt like there was nothing but empty air where his stomach was, and the sight of the woman bringing out the beige cup again had his mouth nearly drooling like a dog given sight to a juicy steak. He took a glance around, finding that even the curious people at the windows had grown bored of his pathetic situation. "Make it quick," he firmly ordered while he let his body relax against her lap. She was right, the rain had begun to stop, and with his head in the position that it was it he was almost tempted to take a little snooze after his meal. Her lap was warm and dry, two kinds of feelings that he felt he would never experience again when he slumped in that alleyway. _

_She smiled at his cooperation, her dazzling grin brought back as though nothing made her happier to know that he was in need of her help. He watched with interest as she opened the black lid again and blew on the steam, until it stuck him that he had yet to realize what it was exactly she was going to feed him. His answer was soon found out the moment he saw the girl grab a pair of chopsticks to pick up a bundled string of noodles. Plain noodles, he frowned… commoner's food…and since when did it come in a cup? He slowly read the black words written along the beige cup. Was it instant, he's heard of instant coffee; the process of pouring hot water and it was done. He could never fathom how people could trust that it would taste anything like the way coffee should taste when the beans were perfectly grounded and the coffee was flawlessly brewed to leave such a miraculous taste on his tongue. Now there were instant noodles? Something about that just didn't seem right. What were noodles without the steamed asparagus to go on the side, or strips of beef spread over the noodles while it lay simmering in a large bowl filled with rice, vegetables, and an assertion of other spices mixed in creamy brown broth. His felt his mind blown at what his pallet of food was coming to, and in response he shut his lips just as the noodles neared his mouth._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

_He narrowed his eyes and looked away, "Your generosity is wasted I don't eat that kind of food."_

"_Huh?" she sulked, "Why, are you allergic to anything in this? It's just plain noodles I promise." He cringed at her say of "plain"; she may as well be feeding him pasta without the spaghetti sauce, parmesan powder, or the meat balls. He stomach growled louder at the thought of eating at an Italian cuisine restaurant._

"_Y-your stomach…," she pointed out when he stomach cried out to the girl with the food, and embarrassed the bearer of the weeping organ. He tried to suppress the noised, but not avail. In the end he gulped down a portion of his pride, and hoped to the gods that what he was about to do didn't end up killing him. With his luck however, he didn't count on it. His head shot up quickly, and he shut his eyes when the feel of something hot and slimy slithered into his mouth until he gulped down for it to slide down his throat. He took a few short pants after his daring move, and opened one of his eyes to face the smiling woman above him._

_So this food wasn't meant to kill him, he thought._

_All in all he wouldn't call it disgusting, not as good as the noodles his cooks have prepared for him in the past, but this would satisfy. He licked his lips of any juices that slipped, and felt an intense heat rise to his face when he saw the woman bring her handkerchief out again to dab his lips a little and whip away at his chin. He growled low in his throat at her affections, but found that nothing he did was able to frighten her away. She merely smiled down before removing the cloth completely, stating that it was better to be wet then wet and dirty. He bypassed her comment, and waited patiently for her to gather up another dollop of noodles to bring it near his mouth for him to eagerly scarf down. _

_The process repeated a few times without much intrusion; his honor shriveled at the thought of someone else feeding him, but he decided that the moment he could move again he would forget that the entire incident ever happened. The girl was patient with him, which surprised him considering he always thought female's patience was as short as their tempers. Yet this one proved that she hardly had either of those 'wonderful' qualities. She didn't argue with him, nor look down upon the state that he was in. She was quiet, yet the sight of her smile was comforting. It didn't hold any hidden amusement or treachery, and he was more than satisfied to see that she didn't smile at him in pity. She smiled just to smile, he found it odd yet charming. She fed him a few more bundles of noodles, the taste of a few diced vegetables surprised him, but when one was famished the taste starts to become the last thing on their mind. _

"_Would you like some of the broth?"_

"_You are not hungry," he, of his own surprise, asked. It was rare to object to his wants when the need for another person came to mind. Being an only child didn't teach him the means of sharing, and to this day he still believed the friendly gesture was for fools who didn't understand that greed was just as important as money when it came to power. Yet here he was making sure she had her fill, finding it fascinating that she would share her own food with him. Everything she did was fascinating to him, countering everything he thought was right in his world. _

"_No, I had a late dinner at a friend's house, so I am fine. Yet I would imagine you must be a bit thirsty." _

_He curtly nodded, feeling strangely relaxed despite his sore bloody body and hard concrete below his back and legs. "I find it ludicrous to believe that you are no healer, it seems you have tended to the ailed before?"_

_He saw her blink in what appeared to be confusion, "Yes, you see my grandmother is bedridden, she has hip and knee problems so…well anyway I tend to help her out in whatever way I can. Luckily I have a very good friend who is training to be a vocational nurse so she stops by every day and assists in things I can't do."_

_Sesshomaru listened on at her interesting story, feeling he's learned a little more about her already. He didn't flinch when he felt her fingers wander to the back of his head, and felt his chilly wet nose warm up when the hot cup was placed between his lips; the hot steam running up his nose. He felt her tip the cup as he leaned his head back to take in a few small swallows. He felt the warm heat of the beefy broth pour down his throat and warm his insides. Finally he felt some movement in his legs, and with that in mind he took a few more swallows before stopping for air._

"_You have no wish to be in that kind of occupational field?" he asked, out of curiosity as he waited for his next helping when he saw her blow into the cup._

"_In the medical field, no I don't believe that is for me. Though I have a strong enough stomach to handle the sights of blood and needles and patients full of pain. My heart wouldn't be able to take it, as you can see I am not very strong when it comes to dealing with people in pain." _

_Her smile went crooked; obviously she knew of her weaknesses and accepted them. She didn't think of herself as perfect. He couldn't say the same about every other woman that's woven her way around his arm that strived to be perfect, and never showed him any part of herself with fault. Yet this woman here openly stated her imperfections, though it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was a crier. Yet in a strange twist he found her acceptance to her flaws as captivating as her large coco brown eyes. Were all commoner woman like this; caring, affectionate, and willing to put others first? Or is she just really like all the other woman he's known; deceitful, devilish, cunning, dishonest, and stabs at the first sign of a bare back? So far she proved that she wasn't any of those things, but then again some of the most deceiving people were also the most believable liars. _

"_Seeing me in pain hurts you?"_

"_Of course, are you surprised?"_

"_Perhaps a little flabbergasted," he answered right before he took in a few more swallows of the hot broth. He felt more movement come over him; little by little his strength was returning. Though his mouth was at work, he looked up to the woman feeding him and wondered why she had yet to bring up his previous stubborn refute. Here he was asking away about her life, yet she has yet to ask him anything of his. Not that he would tell her, but to see that she was not as nosy as any other females he's known was as refreshing as the soup he finished gulping down. His eyebrows rose when he heard her chuckle._

"_Does something amuse you?"_

"_The way you talk," she smiled, while he in turn had his brows knit down. _

"_My voice amuses you?"_

"_No silly, your voice is as smooth as chocolate." He nearly felt his throat contract at her abnormal way of describing his vocals; which he found almost flattering considering he never took singing lessons or voice lessons of any sort. _

"_It's the words you use that I find interesting," she said as she dabbed his chin of the excess liquid._

"…_Explain."_

"_I've never heard anyone talk the way you do. Using words such as atrocious, ludicrous, healer, ailed, and flabbergasted; all words I have read and learned but rarely heard anyone say. You talk like most did in the old days, you speak with intellect. Your choice of words is full of color and you speech is so…so…"_

"_Flexible," he answered._

"_Right," she smiled._

_Again he felt astonished; hair as white as the moon and as long and silky as a red carpet. Eyes the color of the sun, facial markings that no form of medicine could cure or nor direct link of cause, and skin as pale as light snow that neither burns in the heat nor tans in the sun. All things that attracted the woman before; his unusual looks had woman running right into his trap like flies to a light, and yet the first thing this stunning girl compliments him on is his voice and speech. He felt a familiar warm sensation gather at his face, and even in his chest. A lump formed in his throat; never could he remember the last time he felt so flattered. Usual all compliments given correlated with his looks of wealth, something after years of hearing no longer affected him. He remained quiet, speechless. _

"_Your hair color and eye color are very pretty as well. Reminds me frangipani flowers; white petals with a butter yellow center. Some are even pink on the outside did you know that" she smiled, again surprising him with her odd descriptions and unusual random fact, but he knew that the subject of his hair and eye color would come up sooner or later. It was always the main topic woman would ask about; stating that his eye color was as rich as he was. Then when he was younger it was the main topic of teasing when it came to the crueler kids who thought he was some sort of ghost wandering the schools with his pale skin and white hair. Now he only waited to either hear this woman's teasing or her outrageous compliments. Instead she surprised him with her interesting comment of comparing his looks to a flower, very odd, but so was she. Then she made a laughable little comment of how he could use a brush to detangle his long hair. He felt his cheeks grow red with discomfiture, he cleared his throat. _

"_Do you live alone with your grandmother?" he asked, hoping to ask a question that would make the red in his cheeks vanish. Then there was the awkward silence that he was trying to avoid when it came to lying in a strangers lap._

"_Yes, the place hardly ever gets lonely though. There are always visitors stopping by."_

"_What of your parents?"_

"_Oh they…um…" By the way her fingers began to fidget, and the suspicious way her eyes darted away from his face it was easy to tell he may have stuck his foot in his mouth. _

"_Never mind," he quickly added, already knowing that he was going too far into her personal affairs, and just because he looked like his mother didn't mean he had to act like her. By now she would be washing down her foot with a glass of insults to further belittle this female in front of him. _

"_It's fine. Are you any close to your parents?" she asked._

_As if speaking of the devil, "I visit my mother often," he answered; he had to for when he took over the company she was going to be his business partner in a family run company with him at the very top of the throne. _

"_Sounds like you two are really close, are you anything like her?"_

"_As different as salt and pepper," Sesshomaru held down his snort. _

"_Oh," she giggled, "And what of you father?"_

"_Deceased," he answered blankly._

"_Oh…I'm sorry."_

"_Don't be, it happened a long time ago. It can't be undone."_

"_I suppose, I bet he must have been just as handsome as you," she blushed, turning away as soon as they made eye contact. Sesshomaru smirked some, wondering if this was as close to flirting as they were going to get. _

"_What features do you declare handsome, the slashes on my cheeks or the bruise on my eye?"_

_He heard her stiffen a giggle; thinking that it was hardly appropriate to laugh at his pain. Yet when she spotted the amusement in his eyes he heard her let out her sweet laugh. He didn't even know if they were flirting anymore, she complimented his features but didn't go any further like bending down to suckle his neck or claim his lips in her own. She seemed much too innocent, but he wasn't complaining. It's been a while since he last remembered making someone laugh, a rare true laugh. She was pleasant company, something he needed when he felt like he was population one in a lonely dark tunnel. All signs of a light at the end pointed to her; this simple commoner woman who saved his life. Sesshomaru sighed through his nose; it was also rare for anyone to ask of his father. She really didn't know what he was after all, but he felt he should feel pleased over that fact. _

_A few moments passed of a few questions and answers until they both noticed the few street shops beginning to close which meant that it should be near the end of their friendly acquaintance. "Won't your grandmother be getting worried about you?"_

"_I phoned her already when I went to go get you the soup," the girl said, her arms leaned back with his head still in her lap as though the position seemed like the most habitual position in the world, even with the puddles and lit up street lights down surrounding dark roads in their background. Her presence near his, his head in her lap, their conversations; a situation that seemed as natural as his abnormal hair color, something he wondered why she had yet to ask about. "I just told her that I would be home late and not to worry I was with a friend."_

"_Is it wise to lie? He queried._

"_I'm not lying," she grinned as she looked down at him. He snorted some, but a small smiled found its way to his lips. Maybe she wasn't so much deceitful, but she knew how the game of truth and lie worked. She was a smart girl, despite all the idiotic stunts she's pulled tonight. _

"_Umm…"_

_His blinked at her, "What is it?"_

"_I not only phoned her, but…I-I also phoned my landlord. I asked him if he would be able to drive you home, and he said yes…."_

_Sesshomaru's eyes quickly tightened; anger seeping past his gritted teeth as he moved from his relaxed position. His strength had increased since he last tried moving, and now he felt his arms move more freely than before. He rose from her lap, and turned till he found himself on his knees face to face with her. His breathing had increased, and a tight knot formed in his now semi-full stomach. A low growl formed in his throat, but the sight of her frightened stare had him calming down. "You did what?"_

"_L-Listen he's an old man who forgets his own name half the time. I know that you said you don't want anyone to see you, b-but I guarantee that the very next day he won't remember, and even if he did he's too busy most of the day to remember much."_

"_Old man or not do you realize the risk you are taking," he growled, a sharp pain shooting down his side initiating more pain to run down his arms. "Are you alright," she cried when she supported him by his shoulders the moment she saw him lean over in pain. "You can't make it home in this condition you know that. Please, if it is a risk to take don't put your life on the line for it. I would lend you a room at my place, but you can't walk and my house is a ways away. This is the only option I could think of…."_

_The spark of anger didn't waver from his face, and he could think of over a thousand more comebacks to give her. Yet deep down within the confinements of his common sense he knew there was no other way. He could barely move without flinching in pain, and she never mentioned anything about pay as he would have to do had it been a taxi coming for him. Things were not going his way; that was more than painfully obvious. Food was in him now, and he didn't seem as helpless as before which had him thinking more clearly._

"_Please," she pleaded with him, even going so far to lift his chin to gaze at him eye to eye. Their faces were close, so close to where the thick fog of each other's breathing mixed together. They were both dripping wet, both on their knees on the puddles pavements in the middle of a chilly cold night. "I don't want to see you in pain anymore," she mumbled past the few tears gathering in the corner of her eye. _

_He sighed, she truly was a crier. Never had he thought it would affect him so. _

_His eyes closed at her comforting words, deciding against arguing with her anymore. With another deep sigh he just accepted how things were; she was worried, worried about him…she didn't want to see him in pain. His brows knitted in a sign of surrender; how could he argue with someone who put his own needs before her own. She risked her life for him, stood out in the rain with him because he refused to be allowed any other help. She even bought food with her own money and fed him when he did not have the strength too while their only source of shelter was her own umbrella and the only thing keeping him from losing his sanity was her patient and pleasurable company._

_He would concede with her request, and now that the sight of bright lights came to view below the street it would seem he didn't have much of a choice. "Don't cry anymore," he murmured back, just enough for her to hear, "I will need some assistance getting into the car." His chest warmed at the sight of her relieved smile. _

_After a bit of work on his part he finally found his knees locking up well enough to have him standing with his shoulder draped around her neck for support. The bright lights of the car drove closer until both party's faces lit up in complete shock when the car drove past them with unbelievable speed. Was it the right driver? He saw the girl sigh with her palm slapping her forehead, "Like I mentioned my landlord is a little scatterbrained…don't worry though I'm sure he will be making a U-turn pretty soon when he realizes he missed us."_

_Sesshomaru cocked his brow, will this old cook even be able to take him home, or drop him off in the middle of nowhere. For some reason the thought of being dropped off in some desert on the other side of the country seemed only likely with his luck. Out of that horrifying though he reached into his breast pocket and took out his phone. He pressed a few random buttons in a desperate attempt to get it to work, and considering that this girl had to go to a shop to phone her family it was obvious she did not have a cell. The death of technology had his head sag down, and he tossed his phone over his shoulder without a second thought. He could always get another one. Sesshomaru's eyes shot up when the car made an insane U-turn that left rain and dust in their wake. If he lived that is…_

_Finally after a second missed stop, the car pulled up near the curb. Rin allowed Sesshomaru to use her umbrella for support while she went to go talk to the driver, and then signaled him to get into the back seat. "Thank you so much Mr. Totosai for helping us out," she said as she helped Sesshomaru get settled into the back seat, his long hair tussled everywhere and his sore body moved till he found himself in a proper position. "Oh, here you have some blood dripping from your forehead," she said as she handed him her handkerchief, both knowing he now had the strength to take care of the small problem himself. _

"_No problem uh….um….what was your name again?"_

"_Oh Totosai," the girl laughed before she went back to the driver seat window while Sesshomaru cleaned his wound. "I really do appreciate it."_

"_Don't mention it, and you're the nice girl who lives with her grandmother right?"_

"_That's me, and do you mind giving me a lift too?"_

"_I would miss, but I should warn you though…" his voice turned into a whisper that only the woman could hear. "I am obliged to give your grandmother rides to her doctor's appointments I would not object to that. However gas is not cheap, I will do this favor for your friend judging by how bad he looks dear, but to take you home as well and then drive back to my place. I'm afraid I'll have to either ask you for money now or raise your rent a bit…don't take it personally I have to pay for a living too you know."_

_Sesshomaru saw the woman shake her head with an almost disappointed expression crossing her features. Was she in need of money? If he only had any to give her for everything she's done so far. His hands went to search inside his pockets, hoping to find a lost twenty that he may have stuffed in his pocket in his past, but all he ended up finding were old wet extra business cards. Still, they weren't totally useless._

"_Here," he mentioned, holding out the card for her to take. _

"_What is this?"_

"_I-I am close with the people who work at that law company. Call if you are in need of anything and I guarantee they will be there to help, confirmed?"_

_Her eyes widened, and her face turned down, "I cannot accept such a generous offer. Please, do not feel like you have to thank me."_

"_You will accept," he demanded from his leaning position on the seat, "Take it."_

"_But-"_

"_Take it," he repeated himself, causing her to nod her head frantically before closing his door. He rolled down the window to meet her sweet smile and doe eyes. Her umbrella now folded in her hands and her little shoulder bag still in the same position as last time, the remaining empty beige noodle cup remained on the street completely empty. _

"_Take care of yourself," she advised, "Please do not let me see you like that again."_

"_So long as you promise me that you will get rid of that umbrella," he answered comically with a blank expression._

"_Never," she laughed. _

"_Do you live far?" he asked, already knowing the sad truth that she will not be joining him on this ride. He heard the old man at the wheel begin to talk to himself and then laughed for no apparent reason; for a second Sesshomaru wondered who exactly was in the sadder situation. _

"_No a few blocks down is all," she answered, yet for all he knew she could have been lying to make him feel better. She showed him that she was unlike anybody else he's ever met. He was even eager to reward her for her heroic and good deed. He wanted to repay her for everything she's done for him, and now he merely had to wait till he got a call from her to surprise her with his voice. Sesshomaru found himself smiling at his plan. _

_It would begin as a call requesting a favor, which he gladly comply to and then his good deed will be done. He even thought so far as to taking her to dinner in return for what she's done, but as pleasurable as her company is, her status in this world would not mix well with his. Commoners were beneath him, always have been and always will be. However, this one was different. She didn't shine in golden polish, but she wasn't rusted copper either. He didn't see her as low as the mud beneath his shoes, or the bugs that stuck to his windshield. She was different, and he felt there would be nothing wrong with asking her out for a friendly cup of coffee. She merely had to call._

"_Have a safe trip," she said as she leaned into the window and whispered, "and I mean that with every fiber of my being." He stiffened his wanted chuckle and nodded, then saw her hand reach forward. "It was nice…talking with you. I'm so glad that you are alright, and I will be praying for your quick recovery."_

_He blinked in mild astonishment when he saw her hand come forward, and after her words of endearment he reached back to grasp a hold of her hand. His larger grip palming her dainty hands into his larger one in a complete and perfect hold. So many things he wanted to tell her, so many things he felt he couldn't say just yet. If anything he felt that he should thank her, thank her for all she's done._

"_I regret nothing," she suddenly begun, accidentally cutting him off. "I was...enchanted to meet you."_

_Sesshomaru felt his chest turn; his lips slightly parted and his breath hitched when he felt her let go of his hand; like a linked chain suddenly broken. He saw the window role up from the driver, and the last thing he saw was a wave of her hand and a smile brightening her face before she turned to run down the street. _

_He stared wide eye at the door, leaving no room to blink when he opened up the palm he shook her hand with to see his business card folded in half presented in his hand. She didn't take his business card; it had his work number that she had no knowledge of knowing. He had a plan that relied sole on this card, and now it was back in his position. His body quickly responded, and he struggled to move toward the window, however by the time he got there he was greeted with an empty street. Parallel rows of small shops all leading to a group of buildings at the end with a large sign on a gate that he was unable to make out in the dark. _

_His heart beat, his mouth went dry, and his body resisted the sudden urge to get out of the car and go after her. How was he to see her again now? Maybe if he handed her his number directly then… Locks of silver tanged hair hung low in disappointment; this was not how it was supposed to end. He never thanked her…never…never even knew her name._

"_Driver," his head shot up quickly as his baritone voice roared at the man putting the car in drive. "What was that woman's name, you must know?"_

"_The woman?" the driver said as he made a right turn and followed the beat of his jazz music. "Eh what woman, I'm a man," he answered before turning around, "Who are you, and why are you in my car is this car pool bingo night?"_

_Sesshomaru sighed in defeat as he leaned back to have his head hit the seat with a 'bonk'; this old prune was hopeless. His mind wandered back to that woman; she gave back the reward for helping him. Did she think it was some big joke? Or was everything she did…truly out of the kindness of her heart. Was she truly so pure hearted that she would accept nothing in return. As if meeting him was all reward enough, the way she said her goodbyes made it sound that way. She was enchanted to meet him, he thought. And meeting her…there was no other word for it. Enchanting. _

_He had to find her again, somehow, someway, he had to find her. He didn't have much time though, his next semester at the university would be starting in a little over a month, and he would have to move back to his pent house closer to his campus which was a three hour drive located in the outer area of the city. If he didn't find her before then, or attempt to think of a plan he would never again meet the woman who opposed everything he thought people to be. Her heart mirrored what he thought most people's hearts contained; he had to meet her again. He had to see if such a person could truly exist, if there was such a thing as a good soul in this world. How though, he thought. How was he going to see someone who may as well have been an illusion of his imagination, brought up when he felt like he had no one else in the world? How as he supposed to find her, how was he supposed to believe she was even real after he wakes up the next day. _

_His eyes slowly raised open, and he turned his neck to lean his head down and stare at his left hand which had recently been preoccupied with fiddling with something in his palm, and it was not his business card. _

_He lowered his head till his amber eyes met the bright a bright orange handkerchief still clutched tightly in his palm. A single white light at the end of the tunnel still existed. _

I_**I**_I_**I**_I_**I**_I_**I**_I_**I**_I_**I**_I_**I**

"S-Sir," Royokon spoke through the limo's intercom as he addressed his daydreaming master and employer. "Master Sesshomaru," he repeated with trembling lips as Sesshomaru brought his head up from his position in starring down at the orange blood free handkerchief in his lap. "I can hear you," he snapped back in obvious frustration, "What is it?"

"Well Sir it's just that we've been at this corner for a little over twenty minutes now, and there are a few trucks lining up behind us." Sesshomaru didn't bother to turn his head. He could hear the few honks and curses directed to his limo. He didn't care at the moment. His silver head turned to see the rain gutters filled with water, and the grey streets lined with a few people walking toward their next destination, but none with a daisy umbrella. Sesshomaru looked at the halo of light that shinned from a lonely streetlight. The beige cup from before long disposed of, but his memory of that day was as vivid as if it all happened a few short minutes ago, and that woman would return with yet another cup of soup.

He sighed quietly as he pressed his forehead to the dripping wet window. Where was she? He took such a precarious risk just to find her, and for all he knew maybe she would be different then when he first met her. Everything was now ridding on how his first semester at that junior college goes. It was the only piece of information he could remember out of her. A college down the street; the random stack of buildings with the iron gate that said Tenseiga Community College at the top.

He didn't even know if she was going to attend this semester, yet she was worth a shot. It was better than going back to his university and wonder about her constantly; he wouldn't be able to concentrate unless he could honestly say to himself that he tried. He tried finding her; he's asked the college about her but with the students away for the summer asking for a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes didn't narrow down his search. He even went so far as to look for the correct noodle shop a few days after he recovered to ask the owner if he knew of the girl. What he heard instead pinched his heart in more ways than one.

"_Well I didn't catch her name. I remember her using out phone and then ordering two cups of noodles, unfortunately for her though she only had enough money to buy one."_

He let out a chuckled breath. "One," he whispered to his reflection in the mirror. She only had enough money to buy one, and the fact that she began her order as two proved that she was a little hungrier than she let on. Yet she spent all she had on him, seeing that he was provided before she was. She even turned down his request to share; maybe she knew just how hungry he was. What the cashier said had him pulling out five grand as if he was simply pulling out a one dollar bill, and he slammed the money on the counter ordering that whenever she would return she was to order whatever her heart desired and she would pay with the money he gave them. He also noted to them to give her the business card nestled within the bill in the case that she wonders who was paying for her future meals. He even had to use a bit of persuasion when the manager stated that they weren't sure if they could do that. In the end they agreed, but it's been near two months since then and he's not received one call from either her or that restaurant.

He even started worrying in the dead of nights when he couldn't sleep. Did she even make it home alright that night? Maybe if he had been a little more cooperative in revealing who he was then… His eyes wavered from the corner street light, to the orange handkerchief in his lap.

"Where are you?" he whispered silently.

_I was…enchanted to meet you._

His eyes darted to the street light again, a small hallucination giving him the impression that she was standing there with her ridiculous umbrella and charming beautiful smile that he had yet to find a match for to this day. Her warm smile, her chocolate doe eyes, her tiny pink blush and sweet tuneful voice.

"I was enchanted to meet you too," he murmured to himself before setting the orange cloth back in his pocket.

"Sir?" Royokon asked again, "Um…where to?"

Sesshomaru straightened his posture and took out his new cell phone to begin reading through his dozens of text messages; his mind settled back on his work, "Home."

**AN: How as that, worth writing more? **

**Well I'm going to write more anyway, I enjoyed writing our silver haired bishie in modern times, just as much as I love writing him as a merman and as the cold aristocratic lord he is in the anime. This story is different in the sense that Rin's POV won't be told, but I always have her view be told in my stories so now I'm going to stray away from that. Not that I don't like it, it's just something new I want to try, plus there is always everyone else's view that I can experiment with. **

**The band of seven was my first choice in bad guys instead of Naraku, they just seemed to fit my bad guy roles perfectly for some reason lol and Totosai just reminds me of a crazy old grandpa ha-ha XD Of course more characters are going to come in as the chapters role on, and if any questions future chapters will hold the answers. **

**Time for our selfless Rin to show our future law tycoon that there is such a good thing as a good-hearted soul and not everyone is as deceitful as he seems to think. Maybe she can prove to him that she is not the only good person in this world as well, but you guys will just have to keep reading to see how I get them to meet again and how much of a stronger impact Rin leaves on Sesshomaru's thoughts and heart after he sees her beautiful smile again. **

**Any comments are welcomed I always love hearing what you guys have to say, it means so much to me that you guys believe my idea is creative and worth updating so thanks a bunch. Stay alert for this as well as my other stories that I will be updated as often as I can. I just got a job, but it's also summer so it shouldn't take up too much of my time. Thanks for reading and till next time!**

**P.S Ever realize that I have their first meeting in the rain, and for my sea story they first meet on the beach. What's with all the water!**


	3. Vanity

**AN: A full year has passed since I joined FF and to be completely honest I am very proud with how much my writing has improved thanks to this site in allowing me to write and post stories revolving around my favorite character. I am so very happy everyone is enjoying this story so far, as you can tell so am I considering the length I make these chapters; honestly I don't know how it turns up this way. I set my chapter to end at a certain scene and I kinda just fill in the rest from there and walla! So yes it will take a few weeks till I update, but I hope that the length of the chapters will prove that I am not making any of my readers wait for nothing. **

**Thanks so much for all the support and reviews I have received so far, hearing what you have to say makes writing this even more worth the thought, time, and effort, it's very much appreciated :D I hope I thanked everyone, and for those guests I have made replies at the end of the ch. **

**One thing I would consider before reading this is have you mind wide open, and your imagination set and ready because one of the main reasons why I wanted to write a modern day themed story was to play dress up with Sesshomaru lol I actually do intend to describe him wearing different styled clothes as often as I can, and this ch. is the beginning of that. I am not known for fashion sense but after seeing a lot of fanart, thinking of Sesshomaru in jeans and other assortments of shirts is not that hard, or to me it's not xD btw as an added note, I did change the name of the law firm than what my original intentions of its name was supposed to be, but you'll find that out. **

**So please enjoy, I hope everybody is pleased by the end, and let's get the next level of this story started!**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters, all right belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I am merely responsible for the story line and plot. **

_**From Oxfords to Sneakers Chapter 3: **_

_**Vanity**_

It was decided then; the sharp object reflected his golden orbs through its gleaming razor twin blades, and his hand reached forward. He was taking a risky decision; something he had not remembered doing in a long time. He was cutting family ties by doing this, and he could already hear his mother's nagging on how his impudent mistake would be the death of her, and how he would have not been so complicated if he wasn't as stubborn as his father and so on and so forth. It had to be done though, it would allow him to be less exposed through the commoner's eyes, and the less suspicious he would seem the more he would appear like one of them. Or as much as 'one of them' as he could possibly look.

Sometimes his wishes held with them false hopes that he could have the same brown, blond, or simple black hair that colored every other average human's head in the world, and that included the regular set of eyes; not some yellow demonic-like color that made him look like he recently came out of a horror film. He did get more than his fair share of compliments, kisses, dates, love letters, and lusty nights with some lucky woman thanks to his foreign looks though. If he wasn't desired by women over his captivating and alien-like features then he was ridiculed by others to go back to the ages of witches and demons where they believed he once came from. A friendly greeting could never go so simple, and he had become fed up with the overexerted attention. He grabbed the blades.

"M-Mr. Seifuku what are you doing!" shouted a woman from the back of the spinning leather chair he sat in.

His actions out beat her next act of play, and with quick movements Sesshomaru brought his fingers together to allow the scissors in his hand to cut off an enormous amount of thick silver hair hanging from the nape of his neck in a ponytail. Now all that lay was the hair band holding together a small stub of silver tresses. The deed was done, and Sesshomaru turned his seat around as he stared at his hair stylist square in the eye.

"Now," he demanded in a stern tone while his hands gently placed the scissors down on the white marble vanity dresser, "Fix it."

Meanwhile outside the red dressing room door, a group of photographers, stage managers, and equipment crews lined up around a large projector screen while a few of the recent photos taken of the very mesmerizing Sesshomaru Seifuku started playing out on the white poster display. Off to the side near a large wide screen computer the head director of the 'ILLUSIONS' modeling agency was busy looking through the photos of their recent young male model while he searched and pointed out for the perfect expressions and poses he did as well as the ones that needed more life brought into the picture.

The agency had known of the young heir to the Meidou Zangetsuha Law Firm since he was at the young age of clinging to his parent's legs, but one at the agency ever caught a glimpse of him as a child until his teenage years came in. The great Mrs. Seifuku had been with them for years and had yet to disappoint them with her styled poise, her charming bodily expressions, and her graceful elegance that brought a new form of high art to the modeling world. And within the last few months of working with her only offspring and fully grown son, they found that he too was not a force to be reckoned with. It amazed everyone in the agency that the great Lady didn't introduce her son to modeling when he was a child, they all believed he would have been the perfect toddler and kid to star in new 'casual playground' wear, and the photos of a gorgeous mother and her adorable son would have reeled sponsors and customers in like tempting a cat with fish.

The long dark-haired ponytail man with a deep purple v-cut buttoned dress shirt, yellow bandanna scarf tied around his neck, white skinny pants, and dark grey prescription sunglasses gazed at the photos of a young man donned in high class Japanese feudal society wear that featured the fine-looking silver haired male clad in luxurious silk furisodes. A typical styled kimono with extensively long sleeves usually worn by woman back in the middle ages, not something he first thought would be a success but when he had his model adorn a pair of matching white hakamas the image seemed to beautiful to go un-captured.

The director, as well as everyone else in the room, gawked at the photos of Sesshomaru dressed in decorative furisodes, hakamas, and kimonos that featured all kinds of designs and colors. He presented an almost regal atmosphere around his person, and his remarkable lord-like image outfitted in silk attire had him striking perfect poses that had the men turning green with envy, the woman turning pink in pure admiration, and some even going red with lust no matter what the gender.

One of the director's most favorite photos was of his model turned around as his piercing honey eyes looked over his shoulder while he half way unsheathing a stylish katana in his hands. The white silk of his furisode robe shinned against the camera's lighting, and the red collar designs mixed with the chrysanthemum flowers embodied on the shoulders only heightened the magnificent image of one such man. The picture was superb, even the fabulous Lady couldn't achieve such a noble like visage like her son whose graceful stance held with it so much power and pride it was as though his next move with the katana was irrelevant through the viewer's eyes. Just like a true warrior. His long hair danced with every move he made till his posture was in exact perfection, and the photos displayed long threads of silver sleek hair that shined in contrast with the sword as it wavered in his face likes strands of silver ribbons. Then there was that one loose hair that clung perfectly to the corner of the pale set of lips gracing a calm and composed face, making the picture all the more enticing.

"Absolutely divine," the head director complimented as he lifted his manicure nails to his purple colored lips to kiss his fingers and lift them into the air to prove his point. "My dear Lady your son will soon rise to the top in no time with his exquisite physique, and colorful poses. Why not convince him to become a model full-time?" The director rose from his chair and strode toward his favorite spicy female model who, at the moment, was fiddling with her cell phone while nibbling on a few of the roasted honey pecans laying on the snack table.

All he heard at first was a small noise of disapproval while her eyes lay glued to her touch screen smartphone. "I've already discussed this with you Byakuya, his focus is to remain on his father's company. If by some chance in the future he chooses to make this his life profession then there will be nothing in my power able to stop him. However," her delicate blood red nails reached forward to skim across the vein in the director's neck, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. "If I find out that you were the one who convinced my dear son that taking this route was the better choice, I shall see to it that this pretty neck of yours never meets the base of your collarbone ever again."

Byakuya nearly fell to his knees right then and there; his face grew hot with passion and he resisted the urge to bend down and kiss the diamond encrusted white polished pumps donning his lovely models feet. He gulped down the lump in his throat, "Anything for you my Lady."

How he loved the intimidation this woman brought upon him, her attitude was one of the things that drew him to her. What brought his passion to an even higher peak, and left him feeling like an ever goopier puddle of lusty mush was her all too dazzling son when that deep baritone voice of his was heard ordering people around till he found that the set (which wasn't even his) to his liking. Sesshomaru had to feel comfortable if he was going to present to Byakuya the show of a lifetime, so the director made no objections when he saw his aggressive model ordering his crew around, and those perfectly sculpted brows made to present the best intimidating scowls and most seductive glares. Needless to say the director was heart-struck over this gorgeous family of two. Even the father was said to be just as strikingly handsome as his son, however not quite as boorish. Had Byakuya only known him he would have offered him the chance at modeling from the very start. He was never given a preview of any pictures, but obviously the father must have been a catch if he helped create the perfection displayed on the computer screen.

"Byakuya, tell the hair stylist to hurry. Sesshomaru still has a full day left to go and I have to be back at the office at five." The Lady moved away from the director as he went to go and deliver her message while she took the bowl of roasted pecans and began to walk away as she simultaneously ate away at the sweet nutty treats in her hand. Her mind was still in a wild frenzy over the outrageous news her son gave over a week ago, all throughout the week that he was gone to pack up his things from the university she stared at her cell phone to await the minute his picture popped up on her screen with a text from him saying that he made an irrational decision, and that he was going to change him mind and continue at the university.

"But nooo," she dramatically answered before turning her head to stare at the pictures of Sesshomaru displayed on the white projector screens, "Go ahead and give your dear mother a heart attack why don't you. After all I did in settling you in part-time with this agency and then you turn around and do this; I thought I raised you better than to be so discourteous."

She sighed as she read over the text he sent her the day before he returned home. A text which she clearly expected to state how he changed his mind turned into a whirlpool of chaotic news stating that he wanted Jaken to schedule some free time in his calendar so that he could go out and shop for some new attire to fit his appearance in college. She remembered how she almost pulled off the ill-mannered action of a spit take when she read the text while drinking the sweet tea she had Kagura retrieve for her. "How spiteful for him to do this to me," she muttered in a hissed tone, "If he thinks he can do this in the hopes that my crow's feet will begin to show then he best think twice."

Still though, throughout all the tension and constant bickering full of similar deadly glares and vibrant ill-bred speech she would be lying if she said that having him back home was pure torture. On the contrary, seeing him walk through the kitchen doors early in the morning with his usual 'nobody, talk to me till I've had my coffee' look always made her mornings a little more amusing, especially when seeing him abuse that little servant of his when the short bald man wouldn't keep quiet about his master's daily schedule. Then when things began quieting down and they both found some free time she found herself content while reading one of her more ideal magazines while the tuneful sounds of a pleasant piano danced against the parlor walls and vibrated sweetly against her ears as he played away to his classical favorites.

The scent of a male's cologne was beginning to come back to the mansion, the same cologne his father wore, and sometimes just hearing him order away at the servants almost made her believe that the echo of influential footsteps belonged to that of her late husband. Then there were times she would often wonder if it was just her motherly instinct that kept her from strangling him whenever she found herself nearly tripping over his thrown off ties or misplaced shoes when he would come home completely exhausted after a long training session in the court room.

Of course there was also the routine of having to live with a man again for he had yet to comprehend that all toilet lids were to be kept down after use, and all sounds related to vehicles were to be kept away from her range of hearing. Each lecture reminded her that only a year had passed since his teenage years were put behind him, and that he was now a young adult. It still seemed, however, that he still had some growing up to do. His father once said that there was always going to be certain things that neither he nor she would be able to teach him, but in the end it was best to be there in the case that he needed that extra push, or in her case 'shove'.

She sighed while rubbing away the knots between her eyes. "And here I thought this summer would flow through smoothly. What on earth happened that made him come to this conclusion? He thinks he can fool me into believing that it was all for some sort of woman. Well I place my money on the fact that he perhaps purposely led me to believing that handkerchief was from some girl, just so he could lead me away from the real truth. He knows as well as I that love is only another obstacle in life that some weaklings could never get past; those than can are the ones who reach it to the top."

Before she knew it the woman began pacing back and forth; her long hair spilled down her back with a few locks spreading over her shoulders. Her white, knee length sleeveless dress with decorative dark designs cascading along the bottom ruffle swayed with every turn she made, and her black floral pantyhose stretched out against her pale china doll skin. Her dark purple and bright pink feather boa tossed and turned around her neck as the soft feather's tickled the muscles in her neck. "Just what does he intend to accomplish by all this, giving me a heart attack so he could have his inheritance early," she thought wildly. "Well he can forget it, I can be calm about some trifle little thing like this. I mean honestly what does he take me for?"

"A fool Kagura?" she addressed her secretary and assistant who, just as every other young woman in the building, had her ruby eyes fixed on the pictures displayed on the screen. Her eyes glistened as bright as the stain of red on her cheeks every moment a new photo would appear, and her heart fluttered like a feather to the wind when her eyes landed on the face that looked as though it was carved by the most skilled of artists. "Oh of course ma 'me, whatever your say ma 'me…" she answered without a care as to her unnoticed insult; even her boss's responsive huff did not take her gaze away from the screen to express her apologies.

Nothing in the world could convince her that she wasn't dreaming; ever since her boss strode out of the lobby Kagura thought the rest of her day would be filled with endless phone calls and talkative clients asking which office was where in the busy building. The moment she felt like she walked into another one of her sizzling fantasies is the moment she heard her boss call out her name and ask that she join her and Sesshomaru at his modeling shoot to make sure the Lady didn't fall behind in her work schedule while she was out, and that the advice of someone closer to Sesshomaru's age would be a great asset to their later appointment. From there she rode with her employer to a large brick building vacant for movie sets and photo shoots; equipped with all the props and works.

"I have to make this work out all according to plan," Kagura muttered quietly to herself when she landed her gaze on sharp golden coated eyes displayed on the screen. All the sounds of the woman around had the young secretary growling in pure annoyance and agitation; apparently she was not the only one filling the line of fans and admirers waiting to get their chance at congratulating Sesshomaru on a job well done. She heard them gawk at the young model's fine built body, and gossiped how his face was just as striking as they all bet his wallet was. How lucky a woman must be if they were able to fill the shoes of being the girlfriend to a very handsome and very single Sesshomaru Seifuku, the legal representative of the future. What it must be like to fill those shoes, what Kagura would give to fill those shoes.

He must have his eyes on the most royal of shoes to fit side by side with his leather polished oxfords. She would give almost anything to be the one enclosed around his arms, but it was a rare sight to ever even see the object of her affection considering throughout most of the year he was away at the university. Kagura herself tried finding a way to get accepted there, but with only a GPA backing up her education and nothing else to prove that she was worthy enough to walk amongst the rich crowd she settled with working at her love's company, and seeing him during his monthly visits to his mother's office when he checked up on his future corporation's status. She never had the chance to tell him how she felt; that is…

"Until now," she smirked before reaching into her brown and beige coach purse to take out her power compact. Through the small circular mirror she checked her pouty crimson red lips, and added a touch of pink blush to her round powdery cheeks. Her lashes were long with the use of mascara, and her eye shadow was not far from the wine red coloring of her eyes. Her face was masked with perfection; a serene visage that she was sure would not only capture Sesshomaru's attention, but would rival his own rich masculine beauty as well. Her hair was pinned up by her favorite hair ribbon, the feather one, and for the remainder of the shoot she allowed her long hair to be unbound from her high ponytail to trial over her shoulder and curl near her cleavage. Her peacock feather designed dress flowed down to her lower thighs, and fit her womanly curves just right.

The dress bared her shoulders to the world, and allowed a small v-cup opening to hang where she hoped a certain silver-haired acquaintance might take notice and stare down at her perky breasts. If only he would emerge from his dressing room already though; the timing was perfect considering she had yet to find any flaws tainting her smooth creamy skin or unmatched fashionable clothing. No speck of lint was seen, she already dabbed her lips with a napkin to take away any unnecessary extra coatings, and she just recently spit out a piece of fresh mint gum in the case that her breath had to battle it out with a pair of pale yet enticing lips. He only needed to open the door, and for a few split seconds Kagura envisioned that it was her opening that magical red dressing room door to peer at her long time attraction.

_Her hand gently glided across the gold polish handle on the door fame, and in the last second of innocent hesitation the red door opened, to reveal the object of all her heartwarming passion swiftly grab her by her dainty wrist to pull her inside the dressing room with him. His original white furisode robe and equally white hakama costume still donned his godly body, and the rippled muscles below the silk rubbed against her curves as he pressed her hard against his chest to only tilt her chin upward so that she could gaze into those butter-gold orbs of his. She rubbed against the rich material; imagining that her experience was not far off from the concubines and wives that had the privilege of being intimate with their feudal lord back in warring times, after all her boss's ravishing son definitely had the image to pull off the ancient, royal look. _

"_Kagura, how long are we to keep this unnecessary barrier between us?" he said._

"_Barrier?" she questioned, "My dear Sir, I only thought that one such as you would hardly find any interest in your mother's little assistant," she taunted; the smirk on her lips only stretched out more when the same smirk was seen gracing his face. _

"_You mistake my quiet demeanor for disregard my dear," he purred as Kagura felt the icy chill of his breath skim over her hot cheek only to tail down till the chill of his entire presence caught hold of the vein on her neck, and quickened her pulse. "On the contrary I find myself almost…speechless when I'm around you," he growled low in his throat before trailing his hands down till his palms gripped the smooth curve of her hips. "Speechless…amongst other things," he informed. _

"_And of your mother?" she quirked, though in the deep extent of her mind she thought there was nothing in the world more stimulating than creating a spicy love affair with her own boss's son. Next to the lusty stories of a man having an affair with his own secretary, Kagura always found herself lost in her fantasies revolving around the story of a secretary falling for not her boss, but her boss's offspring. _

"_She is not a concern to me my love," he replied softly, repeating her new nickname over and over into her sensitive ear, "My only concern now is yo-" _

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Kagura snapped out of her little daydream when the ear pitching cry of her boss's voice buzzed from ear to ear, and the sounds of a familiar serving dish housing a few roasted almonds was heard crashing to the floor. Her first assumption was that the great Lady spilled some wine on her clean white dress, but that has happened once before and it never led to such a loud cry of commotion. "What's wrong my Lady?" she inquired as her 4-inch heels had her running as fast as she could till she was by her employers side; her vision too preoccupied with the scream to notice the elephant in the room.

"What is it miss, have your stocks gone down? Did you lose a client?" Every question kept the same look of pure shock plastered on the beautiful woman's pale features, and when Kagura had her ruby red eyes follow amber gold the young secretary's throat nodded so tight it left a lump in her neck, and her eyes grew to the size of two full red plates.

"S-S-Se-Sesshomaru," Kagura slurred through breathy gasps and broken letters, "Y-Your hair….."

Walking out of the dressing room was her long time infatuation dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a dark charcoal blue shirt allowing Kagura the advantage of seeing all the exposed muscles of his biceps show through his short sleeves, and the few visible rock hard abs peeking through the soft fabric of his top. Then worn over was a sleeveless black jacket vest, unzipped and included a small unused hoodie in the back. Absolutely gorgeous, she thought. Never had she seen him in such casual wear before; always a nice business suit or dressy buttoned shirt tucked in a pair of dark colored slacks. Now to see no shirt tucked, and jeans that sagged a little ways below his hip bones had her mouth conjuring up a large amount of drool.

Yet, that was not the source of which caused the scream. No, the reason behind all the commotion and large gather of people had nothing to do with his clothes. The true shock of his appearance is what resided on his head, or rather what didn't reside on his head.

"You…cut your hair," she gasped all the while resting her hands on her employer's shoulders to keep the Lady from falling over. Even Byakuya couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing; there he stood right outside the dressing room with a full bottle of Fiji water spilling right from under his hand without his notice. The crowd began to mumble in a loud audible tune; all asking the obvious questions at which Sesshomaru ignored as he rubbed the back of his neck with a cool white towel. His bangs were still the same; much to Kagura's relief that his smooth symmetrically cut bangs still fell to house his mysterious family birth mark. His hair traced the outline of his head, looking as similar as it always had until she saw his silver white locks trail toward the nape of his neck and end a little ways above his spine.

He cut his hair, she mentally repeated to herself till she found the sight of him with shorter hair a reality. He's had his hair long ever since she first laid eyes on his moonlit tresses years back when she began working for his company, and since then she's seen his hair braided on some occasions while other's he's worn it in either a low or high ponytail when it wasn't usually cascading down his back like a long silver curtain.

"YURAAAAA!" the Lady shouted out when she finally found the composure to speak. A young woman with short dark hair stepped out from behind Sesshomaru with the obvious look of terror on her face. "Uh…y-yesss," she answered.

The Lady dashed from her spot until she nearly had her deadly hands around the hair dresser's neck had it not been for Sesshomaru keeping her distance with the crook of his arm. "We ask that you style his hair to fit the next shoot and instead you do this!" she exclaimed, "I'll have you know that I own a law firm Miss Yura of the Hair, and I can easily sue your behind to the next century for-"

"This was a result of my decision," Sesshomaru interrupted at which the Lady immediately turned her head up to reprimand her son as he towered over her shorter form. "Your decision!" she shouted from below; she still didn't want to believe it. He walked into that room with his long luscious hair tied in a neat low ponytail, and walked out with all that ponytailed hair completely gone. Her growls quieted down when Sesshomaru whispered the small information that they were being watched, and when her frustrated eyes settled on all the gawking people around them she mildly shouted out, "Don't you people have work to get back to!"

After her rough orders most of the air around them began to clear aside from her, her son, her secretary, her modeling director, and her soon-to-be fired hair dresser. The Lady took in a few short gasps, allowing the reality of the situation to sink in as her hands reached up to trail through the thin strands of hair resting on the back of Sesshomaru's neck. Her fingers ran through till she met empty air, and repeated the process until she could get over the fact that the hair which should have been there; the hair which had been more of a family look for generations, was gone. "And what of these rags?" she inquired when she specifically remembered him wearing the costume for the next shoot. "The theme is feudal japan not hip hop club night."

"Hn, I have grown tired of the spotlight for a while."

"Is this supposed to relate to some sort of rebellious stage you're going through," she growled through gritted teeth; her hands pinching his hair between her fingers to find it somewhat damp leaving the impression that he just recently had it washed.

"Ridiculous," he stated blankly before moving away from her grasp to walk over to the snack table and grab a bottled water from the small fridge; his black rider boots, a substitute till he found better footwear, crunched against the filthy almonds spread out on the floor along with the dish's broken glass. Kagura watched with intense interest on how remarkable well he looked with short hair; it started to become more apparent that she couldn't decide which length she preferred he have. His long hair gave him that special, intimidating, regal, all too powerful look that heightened the beauty of his facial structure and had over time become like a signature mark since not every man…strike that, no other man in the city had long white hair, much less had it look so perfect.

Yet this hair style made him look so…so…

"Byakuya," the Lady addressed with her angry scowl still intact, "What do you have to say about this?"

"What do I have to say," the director repeated before walking over to his now, short haired model to give a good look over while Sesshomaru simply arched his brow as he swallowed the last remaining gulps of his water. "I say he looks spectacular!" Byakuya deducted.

"Huh?" the Lady gasped.

"Well of course," Byakuya added as he displayed his model's superb new look as though Sesshomaru himself were nothing more than an advertisement sign. "Don't you see that his lack of hair allows our eyes to skim more over the length of his body. The well-fitting jeans that fit him just right above his knees, and sag a little ways near his ankles. The shirt is of the thinnest and softest fabric; it almost looks coherent as the visible signs of his muscles can be seen flexing through the cotton. His dark jacket vest over compares well with the dark shade of his pants and shirt, which contrasts fittingly to his skin tone and hair color." Byakuya continued to look Sesshomaru over while everyone else nodded in comprehension or agreement whereas the Lady kept her mouth from dropping straight to the floor; if there was ever anyone she thought would be on her side on this she thought it would be the director.

"I would say that a belt may be needed though," he advised with a smile, "and maybe a dark grey scarf over this dark blue shirt, but then we are talking too much dark so we should tone down the color just a bit. Maybe some-"

"Are you done?" Sesshomaru cut off, obviously irritated that he was being looked over like a piece of choice cut meat.

"Oh right," Byakuya laughed, "Well all I am saying people is that I think we found our next model for the casual wear line. You know if you ask me I would say we have also found the right man for the 'punky' look wear or the 'smart-guy' style wear, and maybe even the 'back to school' line. If we have you dressing up in the kinds of casual clothes that most men your age wear as well as some casual school wear our profits could sky rocket up for modeling with those fashion brands," Byakuya shot his hands up in a poor imitation of a rocket. "Of course it is sad to know that your regal appearance when it comes to early Japanese wear will no longer look the same," he pouted, "but no matter, your long hair will return."

"So what do you say Sesshomaru?"

"Hn, do as you please," the silver short-haired man responded without too much care as to what he just signed up for. He needed the casual look to fit in with his appearance at the college and if Byakuya could pull it off then Sesshomaru had no problems giving the keys to his fashion style over to the gleeful, girly modeling director. "Yes," Byakuya rejoiced, "I may not be a fashion designer, but I guarantee I have worked with enough fashion studios to know my way around clothing, and you sir are about to take a journey into casual clothes that will have you looking better than any other male your age with the kind of styles I'll soon dress you in."

Byakuya locked arms with a very dumbfounded Sesshomaru, "Come then, we are off to the nearest department store to try you in some recent line of clothes!"

"We go to the nearest one in the eastern part of the city," Sesshomaru argued, knowing that this director of his would dress him in the most outrageous fashion styles had he not set a limit as to how casual he wanted to be. If he was to attend a school in the eastern part of the city where the more common-like folk lived then he was to dress just like them with the cloths that resided in their part of town.

"Ooo, the simpler part of the city," Byakuya mumbled, "Seems like you are going to force me to use a little bit more of my magic then intended but I accept your challenge. No matter how common the cloths are we are going to find the right ones for you. I even know of a small little department store located down in that area. We're off," he urged while waving at his crew. "Clean up the mess people I will return within a few hours."

"Hold it right there," the Lady ordered sternly before she cut herself in between the two as she linked arms with Byakuya and dragged him toward the exit doors. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to prove his annoyance while Byakuya worded out his confusion. "My Lady what are you…"

"You are going to show me where this store is; I'll drive, and in the meant time you can explain to me why halfway through I shouldn't throw you out of my car for choosing his side," she rumbled in a low pitch voice as Byakuya cowered low to the ground at her deadly yet somewhat passionate threat. "Sesshomaru you follow after us," she called back as Sesshomaru merely agreed with a roll of his shoulders. "Take Kagura with you, my car is only fit for two and she has all my notes and schedules with her," she then added before dragging a very shivering director behind with her as they left the exit doors.

In response to her boss's strict orders Kagura almost found herself dropping everything from her clipboard, and her ankle nearly twisted when the sounds of her name was put into a sentence directed to the one who made her whole body feel like it was resting near a furnace. She was going to get to go with Sesshomaru, she was going to get to see his new meeker yet equally gorgeous styled hair cut as the feel and scent of his presence mingled with hers while they shared a few minutes together in a vehicle which she could not wait to get into. So many things ran through her mind when the thought of her and her heart's desire together in the same vehicle, but all pointed to the exact same conclusion that she was going to get to be with Sesshomaru.

She knew he had to have driven his sports car (or one of his many many sports cars) here for no sign of any of the family drivers was seen anywhere in the studio. For a few seconds she felt the last ties she had to reality snap when her fantasies began to come back into play, and in the deep seclusions of her mind she felt a long seductive tongue trailed its way along the column of her neck as she shared a passionate moment with her love in the seat of his own vehicle. The things they could do in his sports car, the confessions that could be made; if any of those were unable to be said then at the very least she could compliment him on his looks. No other woman has had the opportunity to give out any praises so Kagura fisted her unoccupied hand in determination at being the first to compliment her infatuation's new look.

_Most other times he's had a girlfriend…so there was nothing I could do other than gaze at him from afar. Now he's single; he's an available man and I have just as much luck as anybody else at trying my chances with him. Ok girl you can do this, act calm and composed you know he doesn't like it when woman cling to him. Compliment him well on his looks but don't try too hard. Just act cool…._

"You," said a slick deep voice that had Kagura completely drop all her rising determination as she accidentally released her hold on her clipboard in a surprised manner and turned around to fortuitously swat the object of her recent thoughts straight across his hard muscled chest. "Uh-Sorry, sorry about that Sesshomaru," she scampered with a deep red blush scattering across her face. _I can't believe it, he finally talks to me and I hit him! I can fix this just play it cool… _With no room for his reply Kagura only let out a small chuckle as she lightly punched his shoulder, "I-I mean great shoot today," she continued to smirk, having completely set aside the other heated compliments she had hoped would have his arms around her in minutes. Long hair or no hair, those eyes of his were still as intimidatingly beautiful as they have always been, and they always put her in a state of pure clumsiness and made her spurt out words that made absolutely no sense to neither her or the one she was addressing.

In recent years she has always been known as the most attractive women most men have ever seen in their life's, and her female friends compliment her on her fiery willpower and endless confidents that made her the life of the party whenever she stepped foot into clubs and friendly gatherings that had men on her like white on rice. Her friends and adversaries saw her as very successful women for keeping her position in a competitive company that had her working late shifts into the night, and consoling her temperamental boss who's ticking moods practically went off every other minute in an uncontrollable temperature of either hot or cold.

But this man…this beautiful unapproachable creature that she felt no woman could ever tame, much less have him wrapped around their finger, was the only person that has ever stepped foot into her life that had her heart race at an irrepressible speed, her face heat in an endless blushing bliss, and made her spur up fantasies which she should have long since made a reality had she only the courage to speak her true feelings to this aloof man before her.

Such power he had, like a type of control that nearly had her bowing before his feet at the amount of authority he processed over others. His supremacy always had her feeling like she just swallowed her own heart and with ever powerful stare he let her see, a new one would grow right in its place. Had he truly been a lord in ancient times she knew nothing would have stood in his way from world conquest; she was completely taken by him, and she had yet to cross the lines of intimacy. One would say that he was not interested in her in the least, but still she found herself chasing him down like a pirate hunting down their treasure.

So smitten with him.

So enormously attracted to him.

Never did she think that life could ever be so beautiful until the day her crimson red eyes fell on such an unearthly man.

Never before had she ever felt so alive.

When his arched brow final settled down after her odd little display Kagura heard a small "Hn," leave his soft pedaled (or at least she hoped they were soft) lips all the while seeing his sunny eyes scan her from the length of her bare shoulders to the area where her dress finally ended. Her breath caught in her throat, and she swallowed her gasp as a thin line of sweat began to form on her forehead. She felt as though his eyes penetrated right through her very soul, sizing her up and taking in her appearance as if seeing if she was pleasing to his eye and all Kagura could do was still her body of making any movement.

_He's checking me out! Do I satisfy his gaze, does he find me attractive to look at? Why won't he say anything, and why does he have to look so good with that towel draped over his neck?_

"Your clothes," he finally spoke. Kagura blinked; what about her clothes, was she beautiful, was it fashionable, did she look good in it…what?

"They will not do."

"Huh?" she ogled; what did he mean they won't do, did that mean he didn't like them?

"You will need pants," he said.

"Pants?" she repeated, "Whatever for?"

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Kagura stepped out of the building in a pair of white saggy pants that she found in the dressing room; the only pair and three sizes too big it made her feel as though her thighs look much bigger than they were, but Sesshomaru declared that they would suffice. Her chic peacock dress was replaced with a bright hot pink t-shirt that ended a little ways higher than her hips showing off that little bit of skin that she hoped Sesshomaru would notice. Then finally an apple red light jacket was worn over but for whatever reason he wanted the jacket she could not fathom; it was hot out! She felt the pants were terrible, but the shirt was not as bad as it could have been, however she didn't know of anyone that wore high heels with a pair of baggy pants. She was left without an option since she did not want to go and try on shoes that have been used before, so overall she would call her new look enticingly ridiculous.

"Why in the world did he want me to change outfits?" she murmured to herself, all the while glancing at the traffic filled street left and right checking to see when her ride would show. While she was changing as few minutes ago she heard her crush's voice call out through the dressing room door stating that he was going to pull his ride around so they could take off as soon as possible.

"Well I'm ready and he's still not here, of course his mother always did say he hardly ever showed up on time to anything." Her face flushed and her palms went to clap against her red cheeks, "I love a man who travels at his own time and not others," she sighed dreamily before the distant roaring sounds of a loud motor run machine nearly frightened the secretary out of her large baggy pants. Kagura's mouth opened wide when the ear pinching sounds had a vision of a certain two-wheeled motor vehicle run through her heard.

Her heart pounded against her ears. _Don't tell me…_

The sounds sped up, and grew louder and louder till the echoes of the normal car honks and engines running became like the sound of a small bell in comparison with the sound she heard driving up. _He doesn't…._

In that very instant Kagura lost all control of her legs as she fell to her knees at the sight of a silver whiter Ultra Road Glide Motorcycle traveling down from the corner of the street with a very familiar silver-haired rider controlling the raging motor beast as he slowed right at the base of the curb. Like a raging animal stampeding down her direction at a breathtaking pace, and the sight of Sesshomaru being the one controlling the violent machine fired a spark of pure worship in her eyes.

"Get on," Sesshomaru simple instructed from his spot on the driver seat of the motorcycle. That was the reason why he wanted her to change, she thought; had she worn a dress her unmentionables would have been a sight for everyone to see not to mention her open legs would have….she was far too into the shock of her ride to go any further with her naughty fantasy. She still never would have thought. Her scarlet eyes reflected off the neatly polished silver white paint, almost as if she was staring into a mirror. The 'beast' was very large for a motorcycle, mainly being that it was a two-seater, and the fuel tank was imprinted with an English writing that Kagura was not familiar with, giving her the impression that the motorcycle was not from a national company.

She skimmed over the fine details such as the front's shark-nose faring style that included two side by side headlights and a small window accessory for which case Kagura did not know why was featured considering the wind would still hit the driver regardless. For looks, she supposed, and it did look good. There was also some convenient storage space strapped to the sides of the roaring beast of which Kagura gently placed her purse in until further use. Last but not least Kagura could not help but take in the sight of the second seat slightly elevated compared to the driver seat, already filling Kagura's head with the vision of burring her nose in the crook of her golden-eyed driver's neck since the seat would give her that higher advantage to bring her shoulder to shoulder with her secret love.

"What keeps you?" Sesshomaru evenly questioned when Kagura had yet to follow a word he said. "Get on," he sharply ordered, having proven to her that the fact that her Sesshomaru was far from a patient man was as true as his hair was white. In response she found her legs moving awkwardly along the pavement of the sidewalk, the reality that she had never once been on a motorcycle before took its toll on her embarrassment when she realized that she was only wasting time, and instead of mentioning it before she only found herself squeezing her legs together in a mock display of someone who needed to use the restroom. The look he presented to her in return had her convinced that Sesshomaru now saw her as someone with mental problems, and the humiliation kicked into her brain. _What am I doing, now he thinks I'm crazy! I wanted him to notice me, but not like this._

After a moment of inner scolding she straightened her posture and cleared her throat to save the whatever dignity she had left; determined to make her crush see her as anything but a walking shame she decided on using the excuse that she's never ridden on this specific cycle, even when in reality she's never ridden on a motorcycle period. Yet if her Sesshomaru rode one, then she opted for an excuse that would somehow leave the impression that they had something in common.

"Actually I-Woo," she gasped under a deep breath when she suddenly felt large warm palms grasp her on her hips, much like in her fantasy, and hoist her up until Kagura felt her firm behind hit the soft cushion of the second passenger seat on the bike. Her mouth opened in sudden tremor and surprise when she noticed it was Sesshomaru who just lifted her up and placed her on the seat. She hadn't even realized he got off his ride until she was now the one on it. It left her with concluding one of two things; either he wanted to be the one hoisting her up, like a prince would do to a princess on his steed, or he either became fed up with her lack of obedient actions and just took measures into his own hands…literally.

Her mouth wanted to squeal in a joyous frenzy like some hostile fan girl, but with her star attraction only a few feet from her she shut her mouth and screamed till her pleasures content in the dark silence of her mind where there were a thousand other Kagura's to high five hands with for a memory worth keeping. "Thanks," she winked, hoping it showed through more seductively then goofy, but with this man she never knew until she looked in a mirror. "Hn," he replied in his usual monotone voice, and Kagura bit her bottom lip as she tried her luck at seeing how long she could keep the conversation going considering she noticed him walking to his bike's storage packs to pull out a few items.

"I thought we were going to go riding in one of your sports cars…" she felt her inner mind slap herself, "N-not that this ride isn't worth taking out, especially on a hot day like it's just that I hardly ever see you ride one of these is all. I noticed it's not from a Japanese manufacturer."

"This is from an American industry; the company has proven its worth so I traded in for a foreign model."

Kagura smiled at his picky ways, and it made her happy to know that he was willing to be a part of the conversation. "Interesting, so what made you decide to take this baby out today?"

"I've found myself straying from rides equipped with locked doors," he simply retorted as he pulled out a leather jet-black jacket that caught Kagura's interest from the moment she laid eyes on the smooth dusky coat. She watched with attentive eyes as he donned the common biker accessory on through one arm sleeve, and pulled the jacket over his back to slide his arm in through the other. All the while she noticed his long dark lashes had fanned over his eyes and skimmed over his high cheek bones, and with his long hair now gone he folded his collar with ease. Kagura never thought someone could ever look so appealing just by putting on a jacket.

"Really?" she replied with no real regard to what she was saying when her eyes, heart, and mind were so fixed on her biker lord as he reached into the packs to pull out another resourceful item. "Why is that, bad experience with a car?"

"In a manner of speak, yes," he answered while in the back of his mind he felt like a part of his conscious thoughts wanted to shout out that she had no idea! Instead he stayed quiet and pulled out what he wanted until he walked back over to his passenger. "Here," he said before handing Kagura a black helmet, equipped only to cover the head, "There's only one, put it on. It's dangerous not to."

"Wait Sesshomaru, you're the driver," she countered hesitantly.

"A passenger is more important," he blankly stated, his mouth mumbling out a few other words pertaining to things such as not wanting to be responsible for doctor's bills and whatnot.

"Well yes…thank you…b-but…."

"I'm not infested," he coaxed.

"NO! No that's not what I meant, I-what about you?" she offered back.

She saw him pull out a pair of white framed sports glasses, the eye length frames reflected the bright colors of yellow and orange off the lenses, and once they were properly secure on his eyes he got back on his seat before revving up the engine to put the mechanical beast into a wile frenzy of motorist roars and growls.

"I'll manage," he answered with a sly smirk before twisting the handles and checking over his shoulder to see if traffic had cleared. "Hang on," he ordered firmly which was all the magic words Kagura needed to wrap her arms directly under his shoulders and entwined her forearms around the upper areas of his chest. The helmet was secure on her head; a part of her shaking with excitement at the thought of wearing something of his, but another part of her moped in disappointment at all the work she put into her hair this morning.

She felt him take off from there; the sounds of the traffic and the growls of the bike had her squeezing her eyes shut in agitation, she was obviously not used to riding with such a harsh wind hitting her eyes and she was now thankful that for the pants and jacket covering her skin. Plus the muscles moving under her hands made it all worth wild; she felt his pectoral muscles flex each time he switched lanes or made some sort of involuntary movement with his arms, and when she placed her nose close to the receding ends of his hair line near is neck she took her chance at a small whiff of his lavender scented hair, and the woodsy spicy aroma of his male cologne.

_Stop smelling him! _She mentally scolded herself before he noticed, yet how could it be helped. He smelled so…so good.

And the feeling of her biker stud's muscles beneath the warmth of her palms felt just as good if not better. She still couldn't believe the kind of person she's fallen for. The man was a future lawyer in the making, the heir to a very rich law corporation, a part-time model for a well-known modeling agency, and now a sexy biker stud with the roaring motorcycle and spiked leather jacket to prove it. And how gorgeous he looked with his black boots, dark jeans, shady blue shirt and unzipped vest, and now a leather jacket; plus the white framed sports sunglasses was a very nice touch if she said so herself.

Could this man be any more perfect, she thought.

How any woman could ever capture the attention of this already extremely attractive gentleman was beyond her; she doubted not a woman in the world existed that could bring this law tycoon to his knees in utter submission, but the visions of Sesshomaru ever treating a woman like she was his greatest wealth made Kagura strive for that position all the more.

However, she wouldn't call him the most approachable person in the world, in fact he's been known to be just plain unfriendly.

And to top that off, what she once thought of as a scholarly nature only turned out to be his brains covering up the fact that he had a very flawed personality; rude, stubborn, intimidating, prideful, egotistic, hard to please, and was often very full of himself. The list could go on and on…and she loved it!

After picking up on that small fact years ago, she pondered on how one was to go about beginning to break their way into the stone heart of this distant man, or rather…was their even a person in this world that ever could?

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_Where are you?_

A pair of orange lenses reflected the image of tall colorful buildings and the clutter of rushing working people as they tried making it to their next destination on time. The sidewalks were packed with pedestrians, and the streets were filled with continuous honks of annoyance and cars zooming to and from lane to lane in hopes of making it past the traffic hour. In the middle of the busy city street a gleam of silver was seen gracing a young man's head as he patiently waited on the seat of his motorcycle while being centered between a stream of traffic.

Most others would get annoyed that they got caught up in such a busy part of town, but surprisingly he didn't mind. He had a lot to think about for the time being, and the sounds of his motor running somehow put him deeper into his thoughts where he could sort out his life a little so far.

Just one week, Sesshomaru thought eagerly while keeping his mind focused on the pack of cars lining up the mid-day traffic hour, and recalling the gpa navigation route that his mother sent him through their phones to tell him which way he needed to go, along with her usual nagging text such as, _Why didn't you follow after us like I said! _

Needless to someone with an observant eye, it was easy to tell that she was still not happy about the decision to cut his hair. However, hair did after all have the tendency to grow back, and he was sure to be the eye catcher of a lot of nosy commoners if he walked around the campus with locks the length of a dress train. Perhaps she still didn't understand the concept of 'fitting in', but then again he wasn't very familiar with the term either, so the excuse could be said that maybe he just wanted a little change from his usual look. Now that he thought hard on it, aside from his usual trim every couple of months, he had not once cut such a large length of his hair since he was in elementary school after his tresses were constantly being tugged and pulled and made fun of for looking too much like a little girl, as if being teased for his pale skin and odd colored eyes wasn't bad enough to a small child who fought to stay up from all the insults that attacked his ego.

Sesshomaru let a small sigh escape, and the tense muscles in his shoulders tightened up as he thought it over again. One week, just one more week until registration for Tenseiga Community College started, and like every other student that planned to attend the following fall semester he planned to be there on registration day looking like every one of his new fellow class members and college acolytes. The idea of a non-uniformed school was still an eye opener for him. He of course knew that colleges in his country did not have a dress code, and unlike everyone's junior high and high school years students were free to wear what they wanted. Yet Sesshomaru has always found himself dressed in a school uniforms ever since the day he first started kindergarten at an elite private academy that only opened its doors to parents who could pay well, and to little ones that would one day become a great asset to the future of their country.

His elementary school the same thing, and then of course his junior high and high school went by the same way. His university life was no different; clean black slacks and the school's uniformed white jacket worn over was usually what he found himself, as well as everybody else, wearing every day at Tetsusaiga U. On the weekends he usually stuck with the dark colored slacks, or on rare occasions jeans, and a nice buttoned up shirt to further provoke his professional appearance at a campus where looks meant as much to the students as one's social standing meant to the high class society of the world.

The traffic began to move, and with that he accelerated up a little to continue with the flow.

Soon everything he once thought of as 'normal' in his life was about to change, and his usual morals were about to take a completely different turn down a path that could have him thinking about the world a little differently than he used to. His usual attire was about to take a dramatic flip, but he would not lie and say that the thought of wearing shirts as soft and comfortable as the one he had on now was such a dreadful thought. In fact he would say that being able to dress in something that didn't involve a business coat sounded like a cool refreshing glass of pink lemonade on a hot summer's day.

He was about to enter a world filled with shirts that were meant to be pulled over his head, and shoes that were in some cases otherwise known as sneakers. A backpack was going to be substituted in for his briefcase, and for a while he was going to have to pretend as thought money was scarce. Like a first time rider on a rollercoaster, the entire thought of becoming one with such an unfamiliar way of life left him feeling nausiated and excited at the same time; his life was slowly turning inside out.

_She _was the reason for it all.

She was the reason for his increase of heartbeats that vibrated ripples across his chest every time he thought about the chances of seeing her again, and she was the reason for his lack of sleep in the earliest portions of the morning when all he could do was play his piano in the hopes of getting the sight of her enchanting existence out of his mind. She was the reason why he has been unable to concentrate for the past month in the court room, when a certain young woman's welcoming eyes and warm captivating smile was all he found himself seeing when his focus should have been on the victim's case and how the current lawyers were going about it. Instead he was doing something he hardly ever found himself doing; he was day dreaming.

What a pathetic fool he was turning into, he reprimanded himself. To think that he would be caught up in such imaginative illusions of an impractical second encounter with that women, when in reality he should have been preparing his finances and school studies on his next semester at the university. Yet no, instead this commoner for whom he had no name for decided to turn up in his vulnerable mind each and every time his attention should have been on something of higher priority. He once thought himself of going insane; he thought about her every chance his phone rang in the secret hopes that she may have finally obtained his business card, but no such luck when the caller ID indicated it to be of a number he already knew.

He thought that perhaps the gods above had blessed him with a second chance at seeing her again each and every time his doorbell rang in the hopes that instead of calling she may have found his address through a connection with his card. It went without saying that his pitiful hopefulness led to practically the most embarrassing moment in his life, even more excruciating than locking himself out of his own car and being struck down by a bike. The 'doorbell memory' was the kind of moment that had him wishing there was a rock big enough for him to crawl under, or that the cruel students in his elementary years were correct in their statements of calling him a "ghost" and that he could just disappear like all ghosts do.

Only a month passed, but the memory of his encounter with his mother's tea club was unforgettable.

He remembered the doorbell ringing while he had just recently began changing, his mind still on _her_ as always, and in a moment of pure indifference towards his barely clothed state he dashed to the front door like a little child rushing to make it to the ice cream truck or a frisky dog running to bark at the first sound of an intruder. He didn't know what unknown force could have possibly given him the impression that it was _her_ at the door, and he paid dearly for his foolishness. The total ignorance, he remembered, of disregarding the door man's cautious warnings that it would have been better to go back to his room, and the sheer humiliation of quickly opening the large white oaks doors of his home to allow all the high class ladies in his mother's social circle to get an eye full of his naked chest and skin tight boxers which served as little purpose as possible when it came to covering his neither regions. Their eyes all darted from north to south, and the domino effect took place as each woman's face steamed up till their faces burned as brightly red as the color of his underwear.

He remembered the eldest woman of the group was the first to speak, "Well Sesshomaru-"

The door slammed!

Sesshomaru slowed to a red light, and the memory of that horrifying experience still made him cringe. He remembered how he quickly shut the door to keep any further embarrassment from happening, only for his mother to walk in at the most imperfect of times as she saw him backed up against their enormous mansion door with his practically nude body spread against the wooden frame as though he were trying to keep a large mob out. A small clear of her throat had mortified amber eyes meet irritated amber eyes, and after a few awkward stares that should never have been shared between mother and son he felt himself recompose into a more calm, dignified (as dignified as one could be in their underwear) manner that had him clearing his own throat before he stuck his own nose in the air while walking back up their stairway to his room without feeling the slightest bit of shame or disgrace when he was obviously proud of his well-endowed package below. After that his mother didn't speak to him for a week, which he couldn't comprehend her reasoning considering her tea party friends came back nearly every other day since.

He never answered the doorbell after that incident, for all he knew his mother's tea club could have just been phase one, in phase two he could be answering the door for a girl scout group with nothing but a skimpy towel over his prideful man parts; nothing insane about that situation at all.

The green light came, and Sesshomaru turned left while the scene of all the different colored vehicles flashed against his sunglasses and the speed of his motorcycle had his new short hair breeze coolly behind him leaving his scalp feeling light and fresh. As the minutes passed on by he noticed the streets became dimmer and dimmer with less traffic, and soon he found himself reminiscing again.

About her, about where his life was going, about that insane old man!

That night he found himself riding in the backseat of a car driven by an elderly man who went through more personality changes than his mother went through mood swings. One minute Sesshomaru would ask where their location was, and Totosai would laugh profoundly at his remark and state that "I ride wherever the sun takes me!" odd reply to make considering it was dusk. Plus his driving was just as senseless as he was; they made more than a dozen U-turns that sent Sesshomaru tumbling in car like a tossed salad, and the sharp turns nearly sent him to the front seat more than once. Each groan he made had the old man remark, "Hang one honey we'll make it to the hospital on time you just hold that baby in!" What on earth was he talking about, Sesshomaru remembered thinking; one minute the old man acted as if his boxed vehicle was a joy ride the next second he believed the male riding with him in the back was a female in labor?

Then every occasion they stopped at a stop light the old man would count down from five, and regardless what color the light was he would speed off the moment the number one fell from his lips. It was a surprise that they didn't get stopped for all the traffic violations he broke, and the scariest part about the whole incident was that Sesshomaru never once mentioned where he lived, though it wasn't as if he didn't try. He honestly thought that the ride would never end; that he was forever going to be the backseat passenger to Mr. short, wrinkled, and senile. Just when he felt the need to suddenly jump out of the moving car a miracle appeared again, and through mild foggy windows Sesshomaru remembered how he was able to make out the image of a black limousine with a familiar chauffer peeking his large bulky head out the windows. Royokan's image took the breath right out of him, and when he looked to his crazy driver Sesshomaru used a little foul play to get him to stop. He whispered something in the old man's ear that had him press the breaks almost too hard which nearly sent Sesshomaru over the seat again. His little lie worked like a charm.

He remembered throwing himself out the door when the vehicle stopped, and restraining the urge to kiss the pavement of the dirty wet gravel below his feet. "Remember sonny, get in, get the money, and get out! I'll have the car running till you get back I promise," Totosai shouted before slamming his foot on the gas pedal and storming off with an added, "HAHA Sucker!" Sesshomaru paid no mind to the old man's rambling, and merely ran to his ride and pounded on Royokan's window repeatedly till the large man jumped out of the car and hugged his golden eyes employer tightly to his chest. "Oh thank the gods your safe Sesshomaru Sir, me and Jaken have been so worried when you didn't answer or calls we've been searching everywhere for you where have you been?" he mumbled through teary eyes and a voice filled with worry.

"To Hell," he muffled through his driver's chest, and after he pushed away his clingy employee, as well as Jaken who was momentarily clutching his leg he limped to his side of the car, disregarded any questions given, and closed the door to his side of the vehicle where he then allowed Royokon to drive him home; the woman's handkerchief never once released from his grasp, and the challenge of finding her began.

Sesshomaru turned up the speed on his motorcycle.

He often finds himself laughing at his imprudent actions when it came to finding her; like in some vacant part of his mind he honestly believed that she was nothing more than an illusion, like some heavenly spirit that saved him when he felt he was that much closer to meeting his life's end. The sooner her smile was seen through his eyes again the sooner he could start feeling less restless with his life, and start setting foot back on logical reality. He did everything he could to find her, but sadly certain things would have put him in the category of 'stalker' if he pushed his desperation too far. He asked around of course, but with no name there was nothing much he found he could describe her as without sounding like some romantic poet.

So he took his search up a notch, but finding someone was only so conceivable if one was able to remember everything about their encounter. Over the weeks of his healing certain things his memory conjured in the blink of an eye; her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her beige purse, her ridiculous umbrella, even the kind of cup she had fed him through.

And certain things he couldn't remember at all. Those gang member's names, he couldn't remember; only what they looked like and even then he could just be fooling himself. He tried hard to think whether or not they threatened her, but all he saw was a blurry vision of rain in his head. It sickened him to think that to this day they could be doing some horrible things to her, and he was unable to prevent it in response to his failed recollection and useless memories. He felt he should feel content that the evening news brought about no horrible story of a young woman found dead or missing in any part of the city; had something like that had occurred, and the picture of the corpse turned out to look anything like the woman he saw he would, without regret, break all law restrictions to personally take revenge on all those men for her.

He tried recalling certain things that were talked about, like what was mentioned between those men and her. He felt like he had missed something; something very important went heard but not memorized, and for all he knew that little piece of information he failed on storing could have been the key to finding her. He should be lucky enough he was able to recollect her talk about a college, but the name never came until he went to go and have a look for himself. No students attended in the summer, and that was just his luck.

Then a few days after he was able to remember that a man, with a name he could not for the sake of his life recall, also joined her at the college. He tried remembering more, like what connection they had together, but if he was stated to be the leader of that gang than it hardly left any room for relief or smiles. However, it did start to become clear from his memory bank that the man too came from a rich family, and Sesshomaru felt that if he recalled correctly it was from a corporation in the east.

Conveniently there was only one large business in the east; a military establishment. His hunches, he didn't even know if they were correct. The president of the company refused to talk to him through phone; being called from a law firm was not always a start to a good conversation. Then when Sesshomaru personally made an appointment to talk to him he was faced with an oversized bodyguard who took but one message from him, and returned stating that the president did not deal with unscheduled clients and they had no information on the whereabouts of their son but claimed to be held un-responsible for his actions whatever they may be. Sounded like a not so close knit family, and the distressed future law king only ended up feeling like he was back to square one.

"I'm guessing this must be the eastern part of the city huh?" Kagura implied when the sight of cars became nothing more than a few spotted vehicles, and the number of shops became small in compared to their recent sightings of large overrun glass buildings. "You're mother tells me that you will be spending most of your time in this side of town doing research, is that true?" she asked.

Sesshomaru felt a huff go loose, and figured it only made sense that his own mother would make up a lie to cover up the fact that he was actually going to school on the more common side of town. In all defense he could not blamer her, had some acquaintance from his university asked why he was not going to attend this year he would have thought up a very similar excuse. One that would have his previous school mate nod in utter agreement and admiration to know that the genius Sesshomaru was going to study physiological research on 'commoners' to get a better feel on how the simpler human mind worked so he could be better prepared for his future clients and hopefully expand his impending corporation. That was a good excuse, and Sesshomaru decided if he was ever put against the wall he would use it to sneak his way out.

A slight nod of his head was his reply.

Nobody from his social circle needed to know about his decision; it was just one of those moments when he felt himself gratified for not having any close associates, or as some would call them…friends. Friends was not a word used with him; in the world of the rich and powerful a friend was just another word for an enemy in some cases, and the only friendly contacts was that of family members, or helpers and servants. Those who were found climbing the same social ladder were the worst of enemies, always trying to knock one another down, each driven with the same goal of reaching the top and receiving the utmost respect for it.

Then there were the cases between two companies when both presidents acted like as though they had both known each other for years, when in actuality they were both simply following the money golden rule of making as many allies to lessen the number of enemies. To Sesshomaru there were no such things as friends; he didn't want them, didn't need them, and overall he felt he was better off without them. Like some myth no more believable than mermaids.

_But…maybe she could have been….maybe she just might be…no, I don't need them…_

"What'cha thinking about?" Kagura calmly asked then the noise level died down for her to speak loud enough for him to hear.

"Nothing in particular," he answered back in a muted deep tone that had Kagura straining to hear.

About her, and how thinking about her friendly selfless nature brought him to make the decision that he was still following through today. It was not like some climactic situation where he had to nearly fall out of his four story window to realize that he would go to any length to see her again. It was a simple verdict he came up with one night while he found himself splayed out comfortable on his large white comforter and his mind vanished to join into the music coming from his music player. The silence of nightfall enhanced the darkness of his large room while the clock next to his king sized bed read 5:08 am on it.

Never had he felt himself drown so deep into his music, and it did not even involve his classical piano favorites. It was songs pertaining to love, and loss, and pure pure romantic poetry all converted into a rhythmic, catchy, musical tune that had him envisioning pictures of her and him together as a scene between them played out in his head while the visions followed along to the beat of the music. Something like that had never happened to him before; she haunted his mind too much…too much for him to just ignore and move on.

That night in the privacy of his mind, he found that he could not go without seeing her one more time, just once more. Was that asking too much? Just to meet her, and see is she was truly everything he thought she was when they first met. Foolish, innocent, a tad naïve, but carried with her a tender grace and loveliness that he had never before met in a woman. She was so kind to him; he, a complete stranger with a foul attitude toward her generosity and an even gloomier attitude toward her suggestive ideas. Her patience outlasted his temper and negativity, her smile out-shinned that of his apathetic features, her attitude helped lead him out the dark lonely streets that he was sure would be his final resting place. He felt like he was handed folder upon folder of ideas that would benefit him in finding her again, and one by one he burned the useless concepts away until he was left with only one option.

One by one certain thoughts were banished from his mind. He could not simply forget about her, and he had no intentions of doing anything too creeperish like post missing person posters all over the city and milk cartons; that took desperation to a senseless level. It also made him regret his lack of art classes in school, maybe then he could do more in sketching her out then a simple stick figure with lines for hair and a triangle for a body; in that case his sketches of her may as well be posted next to bathroom doors.

He thought about simply going to the student registration, finding her, and continuing on to the university. Yet what if their second encounter happened to be too perfect that he didn't want to return to Tetsusaiga, or upon his leaving her again she would decide to forget about him considering they lived too far apart. That plan was thrown out. He was running out of options.

Another foolish notion he thought of more than once was personally grabbing one of his family swords and kendo sticks to make another visit with those gang members by trespassing on their property late at night. It was all very tempting, especially since he would then be ready to fight for some answers, but there would be no guarantee that they would reveal the whereabouts of the woman. Also, as cruel as he's been said to be, Sesshomaru devoted his time into a law career. He didn't need to be told that what he was thinking was wrong; even if he had won the fight against them and received the information he wanted…how low would he be if he went so deep as to beat information out of men who he considered to be beneath the bugs below garbage bins? How would he continue his career in the justice system if he himself committed a very injustice act, and being the one to start the fight would have him seeing no one better than those scums through his mirror? Overall what would _she_ think of him then? It was a stupid idea; no matter how badly he wanted revenge he also knew well enough that payback came with a price. There had to be a less violent way.

It wasn't till he threw away that last idea until he realized there was also one other option. A very risky act of play, but if he dealt his cards right in the end he would be able to have his cake and eat it too. To join her, he thought. To attend that little college of hers as not some guest, but a student. Being there for the lectures would give him a reason to see her, and having her see him as nothing more than an average Joe would allow him some insight on what kind of person she truly was like. Was she really everything she displayed to him on the day they met? Or was it some sort of front she put up; as terrible as his wardrobe was she may have caught onto the fact that he was rich, and had hopes in gaining something from him. Yet in the end she turned down his business card, she refused to let him pay her back. What was her reasoning; is that just the kind of person she was?

That night, in the peaceful solitude of his room it became coherent that it was no longer just finding her. He wanted more, he wanted much much more; he wanted something further than just a friendly shake of the hand and a simple word or gratitude shared between them.

He wanted to know that young woman; he wanted to know what she was truly like. He didn't just want to see her smile again, he wanted to know everything that brought it out; did it always look so realistically happy, so naturally real, or was that just part of a mask that she put on? What of her character; was she truly as kind in real life as she was when they met, was she as patient to everybody else as she was with him? Did she laugh a lot, it seemed like she did, and did it make other people around her smile like it vaguely made him. She must have a lot of friends, she seemed so easy to talk to, or was that just another skill that she acquired in order for her to get what she wanted? He wish he knew the truth, but with people in the world of today being how they are he couldn't find it in himself to just believe what he wanted; he couldn't just give his trust away like some cheap peck given in the means of profit through a kissing booth.

Yet, she saved his life! _She said she cared about my health, she cared…about me._

Was she always that caring? Would she honestly put others first at the cost of her own expense; and if she did, how far would she go? She put her life on the line for him, and to think that back then he refused to lay down his pride when the thought of vicious rumors became too much to try and risk happening. What if their positions had been switched, would he have helped her at the expense of everyone on his social ladder knowing that he succumbed to such weakness? Sure some would look to him as a hero; funny thing about heroes though is that even then people still talked.

He didn't know; he didn't know anymore and to a future lawyer not knowing something only sickened his stomach and made his chest tighten. He wanted to know why she made him feel the way he did, and maybe if he spent more time with her the answer would slowly be revealed to his inquisitive nature. However, he didn't want her vision to be clouded by his vast amount of wealth and social stature, he wanted to know if she would act as kindly as she did before to someone as average looking as any other man.

He could be fooling himself, but he took on the impression that perhaps she fancied him in some way. He tended to have that effect with most women, but never did he think someone could ever look at him with adoring eyes when his body was beaten, his pockets were moneyless, and his charming good looks were caked with blood and bruises. He knew he looked absolutely horrifying that night; enough to make any woman turn their heads in disgust, and yet rather than cringe at his pain, she helped and even declared he was handsome through her eyes. She even announced her interest for his voice. He wanted to know if she would act that way towards him again; he wanted to see if she would like him even without the fancy suit or shiny credit cards.

He knew he was not the most enjoyable person to be around, he preferred his antisocial nature, his non-talkative personality…would that matter to her? Would she still like him, the real him that enjoyed playing the piano, wine tasting, long trips down unforgettable roads, and dominating the tennis courts. Would he be the kind of person that she would enjoy…how was it put….'hanging out with'. Then again, if she ended up recognizing him…._I'll deal with that bridge IF I cross it. _

Sesshomaru took a sudden right turn, down on a street that strayed away from the intended path that lead to the shop his mother and the director were currently occupying. Considering the circumstances, he made the turn with a touch of optimism; had he been a dog his tail would be more than likely wagging. The ride took no more than a few minutes till he found himself nearing the corner streetlight where he had first met her.

He was only fooling himself, and when he was close enough to the street he took a look and his 'tail' quickly sagged low in defeat. He wanted his hallucinations to be real; the small vision of the girl waiting for him near that streetlight with the same wet clothes she wore as before, the same noodle cup in her hands, the same childish umbrella, and the same smile on her face was all too good to be true. It wasn't real; none of it was, just something cruel his mind decided to conjure up, and the moment a food truck came into his line of vision it drove away to leave nothing but an empty sidewalk corner. All in his imagination; and he shook his head to better control his mind.

Of course she wasn't there.

Sesshomaru slowed by a four-way stop to allow some pedestrians to cross, each waving their hands in appreciation for permitting them all to walk when he really could have continued on his way. There was no traffic though, and it gave him time to stare away at the spot that he once thought of as being the darkest pit of hell, until she came along that is, then it became like some gateway to heaven.

He remembered his first visit back to that very streetlight had him completely taken back by how different it appeared when it wasn't dark or raining. He even had to wonder if it was the same spot. In his head he envisioned a black sky pouring down needles of rain, the air was thick with the earthy scent of water and rotting garbage, and the heavy metallic taste of his own blood clung to his tongue like a sticky paste. That is what he remembered that night to be like, dreadful, dreary, absolutely depressing.

Then she came along, and suddenly he thought perhaps the gods above felt sorry for the chaotic state he was put in, and decided to send him an angel through the bright shining ball of light in the sky. Nothing but fever induced notions coming from a man who thought he was on the brick of death. That shinning ball of light was the bulb of a streetlight, and the angel above was a normal young woman who carried with her honorable ethics when she decided to stand up for a wounded defenseless man on the street. She was no angel, not even close. It was a nice thought though, especially since through his eyes he saw every other person in the world as the devil. Who knew the devil was so rich and dressed so fancy. Who knew he came in so many forms?

The street cleared, and Sesshomaru continued forward without a single thought of his faltering when he felt his eyes settled on his surroundings, but his mind completely involved with his recent thoughts.

Money had its qualities; good and bad. And sometimes money had that tendency to cover the eyes of man and clog his ears from the world until there was nothing left to see but dollar signs and nothing left to hear but the jingle of a shiny coin. Money corrupts, but Sesshomaru felt he could damn well handle it if that fact was obvious to his mind. Money was essential to power however, and the closer one feels to power, the closer they feel to complete. Up till now that is what he concluded throughout his life, so why was _she_ there?

Solving his equation for power was easy enough; what needed to be added, subtracted, multiplied, divided; the formula to control was evident for him. Yet how in the world was he supposed to solve it now when the equation had a picture of a bright smiling face at the end?

The whole equation was then blown off, and the answer was inconceivable. She didn't fit in his world of logic; like a drawer stuffed with clothes, he didn't feel the need to make room for anything else. Had he tried than he would only end up making a mess, and his previous clothes would be scattered everywhere. Yet here he was….

Only thing now would be to have a cleaning maid ready because he was going to attempt to make room for something more. He was going to attempt at seeing what the world was like through the eyes of people who have seen life in its simplest form. Did it make any sense to climb down the social ladder, not in the slightest, but like that noodle cup he was convinced his undergoing change wasn't going to kill him. His recent years have proven that change could sometimes be for the better.

He will find her; that he promised himself in the chilly silence of the night he hatched his unpredictable scheme.

He will find her; he would chase her down if he had to just to prove to his negative thoughts and attitude that she existed. She was so kind to him, her personality warmed him in ways that he could not explain, and as a future lawyer he was supposed to have an explanation for everything.

Not this though, not her; he didn't understand a single thing about her…and it intrigued him greatly to know there was someone out there that he couldn't put together as easily as a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. All he knew, all he felt was her warmth when he thought about her. Like an intense yet comforting heat spreading throughout his exhausted limbs that made dreaming come a little easier at night, and relaxing during his days off a little more comforting.

She reminded him of the sun; she was warm, glowing, and became a sign of bright heaven after a long period of darkness.

Funny thing about the sun though; you see its beauty, feel its warmth on your body, think you can capture it in your hands…but in the end it was no different than thinking you can capture a shooting star. It was so…so far from your grasp.

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Her work shift was already nearing its halfway point, and aside from the low tune of a distant radio not a single footstep could be heard walking along the violet-red rugs of the department store. The current and only employee working the counter at the little clothing shop was busying herself with a few fashion magazines the store kept in stock to see what was new with the summer's trend, and what looks to keep in mind when preparing for the fall season.

"It's hot out today," she mumbled past the palm her chin was presently resting on, "Just like it was yesterday."

Same boring day, she sighed. Same department job that she took up over the summer to help support herself, as well as to lend her brother a few extra bucks. Same dark red painted walls with violet red rugs, same neatly folded cloths residing on the shelves and hangers that they were previously on the day before, everything was the same. The woman looked up from her magazine to check and see if whether or not it was time for lunch, the plans she made with one of her very best friends could just be the thing to brighten up her tedious day. Her job wasn't exciting in the least; her friends were lucky that the jobs they worked at least had some decent amount of customers walking through the doors. Around this part of town, clothes were not something needed as importantly as food and shelter. Usually wardrobe was purchased at least two or three times a year by the people who lived around this area, and though summer came along with some great deals the employee knew her boss was being over outrageous with the prices set on the clothes. Very high quality woman and men's clothing, but also very pricy, and the people around the area just couldn't afford it like an everyday thing. The store was very fancy, but now she understood why it was just not pulling in enough money; the store would have succeeded better had it been relocated to a wealthier part of the city.

The woman sighed again, as her eyes jumped from the clock, to the clothes, to the large red carpet stairway leading to the top floor, and finally back to her magazine as she flipped it to the next page. Her eyes immediately flinched when the odd sight of a white haired couple was presented on the next page of her fashion magazine. A man and a woman; the man looking no older than she was, at least she thought he was a man, a young man who was everything she thought a rich person to look like. Then the woman too carried with her a young beauty masking her to look no older than thirty perhaps. Long white hair over two people that seemed nowhere near the age of an old elder, and strange colored markings decorating their faces along with an abnormal set of eyes, way too freaky. "Freaky," the woman said as her hands traced the long hair of the tall, emotionless man, "yet unique." And maybe perhaps just a tad attractive through her eyes.

_Who says those in law today can't be sexy, _read the page's top headline featuring the Seifuku family of two dressed in a royal party attire which included Sesshomaru in a white clean suit with a blue tie running down to disappear into his white jacket, and the great Lady dressed in a dark purple one piece dress with her white furred boa cascading from around her hips and then up to wrap around her subtle neck. _It's seems these lawyer's talents varies other than that of in court room, _the page's bottom line ended.

"Lawyers?" the woman repeated as she looked back to the white haired couple. "Models...oh wonderful," she said sarcastically, "First lawyers get into modeling and then who's next, the police force?"

"HYAAAAAAAA!"

The main entrance doorway suddenly burst open at a breathtaking speed; the shock of it happening all so fast nearly had the young worker ducking in cover behind her counter. Aside from the double doorways now completely wide open, the employee was only able to see that of a single bare leg which served as kicking the two doors open.

"Oh dammit, I scratched my new pumps," the Lady glowered down to her expensive three digit pricy shoes, until her sneering gaze shot up to send daggers to the man following after her.

"My dear lady I know you're still fumed, but there is no need to take your anger out on the door," Byakuya said in an attempt to reason with his moody boss. It was obvious from her seething glare toward him that he should be so lucky that she didn't follow through with her plans and kick him out of her car, and now her threatening gaze shifted to the poor counter girl who stared at her two new customers with a look of complete shock and bemusement. The Lady made her way to the counter, and in the midst of her strut the young woman shifted her head down to her magazine. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was the same woman; the beautifully rich and attractive woman in her fashion monthly was now only a few feet from her work station with a frightening attitude that would have had any other girl on their knees, but the employee felt that she herself was not like any other girl.

"Good day," she greened like any good employee, "How may I be of service?"

The Lady leaned over the counter to take a good look at the woman's name tag. "Hn, S-S…"

"It's Sango, ma 'me," the female corrected with a difficult smile.

The Lady huffed, "Well perhaps had your name tag been polished gold instead of cheap painted silver I would have been able to make out your name more decisively."

Sango just knew her brow had twitched at the crude tone of her reply. "My apologies," she managed to rasp out, "How may I help you?"

"We are obviously here for clothing attire of course," the Lady rudely replied as if the counter girl had the brain no bigger than the turkeys who felt the sense of drowning when they look up at rain water. Sango knew she was going to have to be patient with this woman, and decided against telling her to take her business elsewhere. The more customers the more money, and the more money the better her pay; this woman before her just may have more money than she knew what to do with, so Sango took a deep breath and ignored the comments made. "Well we have a wide selection from fall to winter wear, are you looking for anything specific?"

"Typical male clothing," the male customer informed as he rubbed away at the woman's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "Something casual yet chic and no matter the category of style, we are hoping to have a sample look at all the men's cloths you have in stock."

The Lady fussed, "And especially-"

"We won't be in any need of you tailored suits," Byakuya cut her off with a hand over her mouth, the previous conversation in the car gave off plenty of hits that she wanted Sesshomaru dressed in more business type outfits in spite of his obvious agreement to more modern, usual clothes.

Sango tipped her chin up with her finger as she thought about the type of dressing they had, "Our upstairs floor has all the men's clothing we have to offer, why don't I show you?" It made no sense, what did these kinds of high class snobby people want with a store located between a grocery market, and little antique business. _Shouldn't they be shopping around marble tiled flooring with white pearly walls and clothing racks by the millions displayed before their eyes as servants bring them wine in a bottle and another servant comes to brush the fur of their little pet dog? _At least that is how Sango saw the rich life of a celebrity to be; but as much as she wanted to know what it was that brought them here to this empty little department store she kept her questions on hold.

"My Lady, don't you think you might be acting a little too harsh to the girl?" In response to his brashness he felt the woman pinch the top skin of his hand till he felt childish tears swell up that had him pulling away with a tiny cry. "Keep your filthy hands off me," the Lady growled venomously as she whipped her shoulder with her hands to cast away whatever filth she believed the director left behind on her clothing.

"You are the only employee here?" the Lady queried.

"As of now, yes I am," Sango replied as patiently as she could.

"Why are there no other customers here, business not good?"

Sango sighed at the woman's nosy ways, as if she had a right to know everything about everything. "Well customers usually come around during the holiday season."

"Too poor for them to shop any other time?" The Lady had her fair look around, her lips pouting at the location her son was about to purchase his wardrobe from, but all in all at least the clothes were of the acceptable standard.

"Unfortunately for most, yes," Sango replied; how such simple questions could ever come out to sound like a negative insult was beyond her. While she led her company up the giant stairway to the open second floor of the two-story building Byakuya had his look around the décor and style of clothes. "I see some very promising items here," he whispered to his model. "All name brand clothing, and in such an impoverish location it makes me all giddy to know clothes bring the world together!" he smiled in a goofy fashion.

"That's wonderful, I think I just stepped on some gum," the Lady boorishly announced.

"I wonder if I can call in my people to do a shoot here while we get Sesshomaru into some of these clothes," Byakuya pondered as he thought about his newest short-haired model dressed in some top thought out styles. Like dressing up a porcelain doll; Byakuya nearly felt his face go red as he thought of Sesshomaru trying on some of the outfits that caught his eye.

He thought about his tall model donned in a pair of white skinny jeans and a black cardigan sweater worn to cover everything but the mint green collar peeking out from his shirt underneath. Or perhaps black skinny jeans with a white sweater on top, the kind that showed just the right amount of skin of his collarbone. _No, no instead what if it was a black and white striped sweater…yes and-and a yellow vest over…or no maybe too much?_

He thought of what Sesshomaru would look like in sweater vests; a pair of black jeans with a buttoned up dark-blue dress shirt, the sleeves brought up to his elbows, and a nice charcoal grey and white Argyle brand sweater vest worn over. Then if Byakuya wanted to go even simpler; a pair of everyday blue jeans with the few purposed tears embedded into the fabric of his pants, and a red shirt worn under a white and grey unbuttoned plaid shirt that reached either the length of Sesshomaru's wrists or his elbows.

The possibilities could go on and on, from the style of jackets the director eyed, to the sweaters and hoodies he could not help but see Sesshomaru fitting so well into. He saw and thought about blue hoodie zip up jackets over yellow shirts worn with black jeans, cargo pants with a white top and orange jacket over, or a jacket that was styled to where the sleeves were that of a different color than the body.

The sweater options were endless, Sesshomaru always looked well with something that involved sleeves, but as he has recently seen; short sleeved shirts looked just as good on him given the right color and size. For some reason the thought of shorts just didn't strike Byakuya as something the young rich man would wear unless it was beach related, and that included sandals as well, just not something Sesshomaru would wear he presumed. Then there was all the accessories to think about; any sort of hats that Sesshomaru may take a liking to such as caps, fedora hats, paper boy hats, or Byakuya's personal favorite brimmed beanies. Then there was the thought of any kind of wrist wear, or necklaces that would match his appearance, or perhaps Sesshomaru was the kind that liked to show off his belt to people. What about the thought of eyeglasses; Byakuya smirked at the thought of those piercing delicious orbs frames behind clear, slim lenses.

While Byakuya was lost in his images of her son's fashion appearance the Lady checked the time on her watch and frowned. "He is running much too late, by the time he gets here it will already be time for me to head back to the office, and he has a very important meeting with his language professors to see how his Latin is coming along." Of course that didn't include the other five languages he had learned and mastered. The Lady continued to survey the area, until a pair of shoes came into her line of sight, and for some unknown reason she automatically reached to pick them up off the display. "If he thinks he can go and buy anything he wants without my opinion he has another thing coming." She continued to look the shoe up and down, turning it over and twisting it till she got a complete eye full. "He may have inherited my fashion taste, but I'm curious to know what he plans to wear in his 'new' life."

After another brief passing of ten minutes the Lady sighed as she waited in one of the seats all the while looking back down at her watch. _What's taking him, did he decide to take a detour? _Unknown to her that is precisely what he did in order to pass a certain sidewalk corner, and her patience was being put on the line because of it. While she moped over her son's tendency to never showing up on time, Sango stood off to the side showing Byakuya their accessories which gave the man an even wider range of fashion imagination. His face dropped low, oh if only he could….

"My patience has reached its limit," the Lady declared before standing from her seat to point her perfectly manicured nail in Byakuya's direction. "Since Sesshomaru has failed to show on time I leave his clothes shopping up to yo-"

"Thank You!" Byakuya no sooner exclaimed before setting off on an adventure filled with pants ranging between cargo, blue jeans, or skinny. Shirts going from the darkest to palest shade with some even including brand logos or eye catching graphics, sweaters usually consisting of buttoned or non-buttoned varieties. Jackets ranging from hoodies, leather, or winter coats that included the fur hoods and an assortment of other multiple belts, bracelets, necklaces, caps, beanies, and an assortment of different styled shoes.

"Counter girl," the Lady called earning yet another irritated sigh from Sango over her forgotten name.

"Yes…ma'me."

"Run a price check on these shoes."

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"Hey, I think I see your mother's car," Kagura announced when the sight of a bright red Honda convertible was seen overhead, "Than that building must be the place." True enough, the woman was right and between a stretch of small shops and restaurants Sesshomaru spotted his mother's vehicle parked along the curb near a two story building with clear glass doors and only a handful of people to be seen. He wasn't yet sure how he was supposed to get used to all this change; he was used to seeing traffic filled with a river of vehicles, but according to readings people in this area commute only through trains and buses or simply on foot. The only vehicles seen were either food trucks, taxi cabs, buses, and though there were a few sighting of cars there was just not as many as he saw flowing through the river of streets on the busier part of the city. Was he saw instead were small sized apartments, little enjoyable parks, small empty elementary schools, plenty and plenty of shops and restaurants, and a common crowd of people looking as plain and bland as tasteless noodles. Is this the kind of lifestyle he was prepared to live with for a year, or would he cave within a few days and run back to his wealthy lifestyle organized around wide mansion rooms and shared encounters with people brought up with the same morals he was brought up with?

He drove the rest of the way until he parked his own vehicle above his mothers, and with a quick turn of his keys the raging beast's roars started dissipating into the air leaving Kagura's behind numb, and Sesshomaru's need to get his thoughts into place finally contained. His contemplations were most well thought out when he was either at a piano, on the tennis courts, practicing kendo techniques, or riding around the city. Even a nature walk was one of his top hobbies; while it was very stereotypical to automatically assume a rich kid has never spent more than a few minutes in the grimy outdoors he on the other hand always felt an intense connection with the natures of the forest and grasslands. So long as civilization was only a few miles away and he had plenty of big repellent. It was secluded, quiet, and peaceful aside from the mosquitoes; everything he enjoyed out of life bundled up in a minty green area filled with the scent of pine bark and earthy soil.

Kagura undid her helmet, and disposed of the safety device from her head letting her wavy locks spill down her shoulders in a tangled black waterfall. As she looked up she noticed honey glazed eyes had stared at her with interest, and Kagura felt a burning heat rise to her face when she felt that there could be no other Sesshomaru had his eyes on but her. Repeatedly she told herself to play it cool with him, and so she decided to give him a sly smile in the hopes that it would cover up the undeniable fact of just how easily he affected her. "What are you staring at?" she humbly chuckled, nearly falling off her seat when his shy demeanor surfaced and he looked away like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. "I've merely taken notice of your hair. Customarily you have it restrained in a pin aside from now," he simply retorted with his head leaning to the side in a graceful manner before removing his sunglasses, and lifting himself off the seat of the motorcycle. Kagura was astonished at his remark, and while it was true that she scarcely wore her hair down at the office she hardly thought he would take notice. _I think my heart just skipped a beat, but now what do I say? _

"I'm glad you've noticed," she smirked; trying her hardest to cross her legs but nearly forgot her position on the seat. Sesshomaru gave her his hand to help her down, a gentlemen like gesture Kagura would have never thought him to do but she should have known better. His mother was a lady of sophisticated manner so Kagura knew her heart's desire had to have been brought up in a world of fine etiquette; it only made sense that he was the kind of man that knew which spoon was meant for soup and which fork was meant for salads. He knew when to hold doors open for a lady, and how to drink and eat properly in a dining area full of many judgmental guests and hosts. Kagura had a feeling he was a master when it came to charm, that is when he wanted to be charming, and she couldn't help but wonder if he knew how to dance like a pristine gentlemen. Then there was the way he spoke; such proper speech, and Kagura knew there was no way she could have been the only woman who's fallen in love with not just his voice, but also his refined etiquette transformed into well-bred use of words. She has never known of any other guy that spoke the way he did, but then again most of the other guys she's known were jerks who found it funny to burp after drinking, and sports to be more entertaining than their own dates. Sesshomaru, she hoped, was nothing like that.

"Did I ever mention how amazing your speech is, most guys your age don't talk the way you do," she complimented amusingly before setting her feet on the ground. The sounds of his jacket rustling came to a sudden halt, and a thick silence filled the air. Kagura turned in curiosity to find Sesshomaru's back frozen stiff with only one arm sleeve of his jacket completely off, and the rest of his body as solid as stone. The young secretary was the least to say confused, did she say something wrong? The awkward stillness continued on for but a minute longer until all of a sudden a small chuckle came from out of nowhere; it was a frustrating thing for her to hear her love's baritone laugh and not being able to see it with his back facing her. A small chuckle zipped passed his lips and sent sweet vibrations to her ears, "What is it?"

"Nothing important," he replied before removing his jacket completely to toss it into his carrying cases strapped to the side of his bike along with the helmet while his sunglasses were merely settled on his head; resting right behind his neatly cut bangs, "I just find it amusing, a while back someone told me something similar to what you just spoke of."

He noticed his mother's secretary's had a few things in common with the woman who held his interest. Kagura's hair was dark and wavy, almost like _hers_; he often found himself doing that lately, looking at random woman and finding similar qualities that _she_ had or either didn't exist in other females. He found some women had the same colored hair, others were the same height, and there were those that he could have sworn sounded just like her. _Her_ eyes were unmatchable though; he's seen simple brown colored eyes before, but none carried with them such intense glowing depth that mesmerized him. Her smiled was also another feature he could not find the same in any other woman, even the kind he considered to be sweet and innocent; no smile matched those tantalizing lips and happy atmosphere they gave off. He found himself lost in space while thinking about her so much in fact that it left quite a few embarrassing encounters when the other women took his staring for infatuation and would either wink or blow a kiss. He was grateful Kagura did no such thing; it was relaxing to know the young assistant wasn't as attentive as some of his past female encounters were. He didn't need another woman clinging to him, especially when there was one who was constantly running through his mind every minute of every hour of every day.

Sesshomaru carried on with his thought, and in the process a black object fell from his jacket's pocket without his notice.

Kagura's eyes dropped when the dark hue caught her eye; oh her adorable Sesshomaru, dropping his wallet was an open door to doom, it amused her to think that even he could make simple mistakes such as that. "Oh yeah," she said just as she hunched over to pick up his wallet, and found herself fidgeting when something orange popped out that had her using two hands to pick it up. By the times the whole task was complete she was left with one hand on his leather wallet, while her other held an orange cloth of some sort. "I would certainly like to know the name of the one who I remind you of." In a fierce blush over her butterfingers she quickly handed him back his things, not once wondering why he would have a woman's handkerchief in his possession.

"I don't have a name to give," he answered, a hint of discontent slipping from his voice. He would give almost anything to learn her name; he wondered if it was short, heck even if it was the length of a pencil he didn't care, so long as he had a name to go with her face. If he had known it before, finding her would have been an accomplishment made in a matter of a mere few days. Yet all he had was this. A bright orange piece of fabric with colorful threads decorating it in floral like designs, and Sesshomaru neatly folded it before placing it back in his wallet where it then was placed into the back pockets of his pants.

A few weeks ago his anxiety toward that woman's handkerchief grew when he thought of what would happen if he left it in the pocket of his pants and the laundry attendants got ahold of his clothing; or if by some chance at horrible luck the orange cloth slipped from his clothing and drifted off with the wind. Then there was the disturbing thought that he could simply misplace it, so to keep any of those dreaded scenarios from happening he placed it in an object that he had with him at all time. His wallet; nestled right in the areas where a few dollar bills were, always with him, always seen when he opened it. Was it really so strange a thing to do when most other men had pictures of their wife's, girlfriend's, fiancé's photos snuggled in their wallets. _Why am I thinking about that?_

"Are you coming?" Sesshomaru called out to Kagura when he noticed she had yet to follow him to the door.

"Yeah I'll be there soon," she called back. His shoulders rolled and with a look of boredom he pushed open the glass doorway and entered the elaborate building.

Once he was out of sight Kagura took a fierce look at his motorcycle, giving it a look of demanded challenge, and with her reflection shining brightly off the white polished paint she knew the machine was ready to accept.

_Time for me to learn how to properly seat myself on you! _

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"Sesshomaru!" bellowed Byakuya in a joyous rapture as he ran to link his arms around his irritated model while rubbing his cheek against Sesshomaru's for a few seconds before he felt the anger of the other man's stare shoot burning daggers in his direction, in which caused the director to reluctantly let go. Sesshomaru's growls were much deeper than that of his mother's but the mother-son trait showed some when Byakuya nearly felt himself choke at the humorous scene of Sesshomaru whipping his shoulders in much of the same way his mother did when shooing 'filth' away. "Don't touch me," was all the Prince of Vanity stated.

"It's about time you showed up, and here your mother was beginning to think you flaked out on us."

"No such thing," Sesshomaru replied vacuously with his hands drifting to the insides of his pockets as he climbed up the last step of stairs before being faced with the outrageous scene of over a good hundred boxes stacked up one by one in a symmetrical order while his mother watched with keen interest as Sango sweated out her work out of having to stack the boxes in the precise way of which the customer wanted. "Too low", the Lady would say or, "No I liked the bigger boxes back where they were before," each order sent Sango closer and closer over the edge with her patience.

"It was never my ideal plan to purchase the whole store," Sesshomaru sarcastically mocked after the shocking overkill of clothes set in, and he could not help but think this was very typical of his mother to over exaggerate everything he said.

He asks for a pet fish, she buys him a portion of the city's aquarium.

He asks to go to a circus, the next day there are elephants and clowns walking along their backyard.

He grows up and asks for simple wardrobe…of course, she's prepared for him to now buy over half the merchandise in the store.

"It was never my ideal plan for you to get a haircut, but do you see me complaining?" she countered effortlessly while the truth of the matter was that she in fact did indeed complain, and he knew this was simply her way of getting back at him. "Where is my assistant; did she die on that loud machine of yours?"

"Don't be ludicrous; she's outside."

"Shame, I wanted to ask her advice on your clothes but I suppose Byakuya filled that position almost too well."

"Do you insist I buy this much?" he questioned as he turned to eye the vast amounts of boxes that just seemed endless to his mind.

"It was not me who insisted upon so many outfits," she pointed out while the one to blame merely clutched tightly to Sesshomaru's arm feeling slightly insulted that his genius sense of style was not as appreciated as he had hoped.

"I was merely carrying out my job, just as you agreed Sesshomaru," he happily grinned which received no similar expression from his silver haired party, not that he was expecting anything of the sort. While the three went on with their conversation Sango took a quick break as she slumped against one of the nearby chairs. Amazing, she thought, this day which she first thought to be nothing more than an ordinary boring afternoon turned out to be the most nightmarish employed hour she has ever felt in her entire summer of working. She had to escort the Queen of Insults around the department store, and introduce some of their latest lines of fashion to Sir Smirks a Lot who ended up recommending clothes for who knows who which only led to the Queen ordering her, the poor counter servant girl, to start packing clothes into boxes so that they would be ready to buy and ship out.

_These damn rich people!_

Now, to her utter shock and dismay; the King of Glares walks in asserting not even the slightest attention or consideration for all the Hell his Queen put her through, and for all the poor counter girl knew she would only end up unpacking all the clothes and setting them back on their hangers and racks before her shift ended. What had her anger seething further was the fact that her eyes were drawn to the sharply sculpted face, and slender, yet obviously impressive muscles of the young man that walked up the stairway. _For an inconsiderate, unfriendly looking guy like that…he's actually pretty easy on the eyes, despite his ugly attitude. Get a grip Sango! You know better to fall for a guy like that; he gives off that look like he's far superior to everybody else in the world. Who would want a guy like that, someone with half a decent amount of common sense that's who!_

An icy cold chill ran up Sango's spine, and she stilled her head from making any further movements when she tried to ignore the hard jabs of frozen glares shot her way. Like as if he read her mind, and was not pleased on how she didn't worship him on hand and foot like she presumed everybody else in his life did. She sent an equal hard glare back which only resulted in a fine cut brow shooting up in bewilderment over the employee's attitude.

"I would suggest that you, a low paid employee, be a little less hostile and a little more useful," Sesshomaru crudely proposed with a spiteful tone and a menacing stare that send Sango drifting away in a sea of rage; she couldn't believe how much he sounded just like the other silver haired female. It only made sense that the magazine mentioned they were family related, Sango just settled with believing the woman and man were siblings. _What happened to his long hair…oh why do I care?_ She kept her tongue still; one rude remark back would have these snobby poodles leaving in a heartbeat, which would then equal to a large lecture from her boss ending with a loud, "you're fired!". Sango took a deep breath, and stood to head back downstairs to cool herself off by a nice drink of water, besides her friends was bound to show soon.

Once she left Sesshomaru turned back to the situation at hand, "I refuse to buy all of these."

"Are you saying that I have to get rid of all these wonderful new clothes I picked out for you?" Byakuya pouted. "I am saying to shorten the amount," Sesshomaru responded as he moved away when the over alert man was found scooting closer and closer to him. "Go," he ordered deeply which sent the director into a heated frenzy.

"Right away your majestic-ness!" Byakuya turned on his heels and ran in the direction of all the boxes as he looked through and picked out when he loved the most and what he felt could simply stay until a later time. _He's absolutely heartless, _"but that's why I love the guy," Byakuya dreamily pronounced with a little heart flying away from his head. While he was off and away Sesshomaru turned back to his mother when he heard the rustling of a shopping bag, the sound came so easy to spot since he was born into a family who spent more money on clothes than they did on groceries, not that it was even them who did all the shopping and or cooking.

"Here," she said as she lifted a shoe box from the bag and handed it to him with a passive face hiding away the usual uncomfortable nature that took hold of their bodies when they presented their generosity to one another. "I just had to make sure at least some part of your fashion was of the acceptable taste," she explained.

"Did you think me to wear olive oil cans on my feet?" Sesshomaru scoffed, and regardless of her impeccable nature towards always wanting to be in control he accepted the bag with a very slight bow of his head, so small a bow that only she was able to notice.

He lifted the polished beige cardboard cover of the box, the shiny white edges of the entire shoe box itself rested in the fit of his right palm. With a few easy maneuvers he neatly lifted the crisp white paper inside to reveal pure white Polo brand sneakers with white rubber soles, and soft brown under padding with equally brown shoelaces twisting in and out of each string hole. To top it all off the Polo brand logo was laced into the side of each shoe; a very high fitting image for footwear meant to be so simple and plain. "Now I expect you to wear those for the most part," his mother pontificated, "I understand that there are more shoes ready for your purchase in those boxes."

"Whose ingenious plan was it to override me with shoes?"

"Yo," Byakuya raised his hand in a sing-song tone to show that he was the culprit while half of his body was still sorting through the boxes.

"Anyway," the Lady redirected her son's attention, "Well what are you waiting for an invitation? Put them on and throw out those old rider boots," the Lady smirked victoriously when she saw the small hint of eagerness reflect off Sesshomaru's eyes over his gift. To think that a lot of people had the audacity to suspect that it took a great deal to impress them; how foolish, after all the shoes only amounted to around 7,061 yen or 90 US dollars if the Lady's business sense was correct. They truly weren't that hard to please. With an occasional true smile creeping into her lips her previous rage over his trimmed locks was now replaced with a satisfied grin when she watched her son begin to sit to don on his new pair of shoes.

"Move over, I get the chair," she sharply intervened when his behind was no more than a few inches from the comfy chair's cushion. She motioned for the stairway to be his temporary place of seating when his eager eyes quickly turned into that of annoyance, but with a shallow shrug of his shoulders he complied with her immature behavior and sat on the very top step of the stairway.

"I'd be careful when you starting walking in those," the Lady snickered under her breath.

"Why is that?"

"Well they say that you always trip at least once with each pair of shoes you own; mainly during a time of complete importance."

Sesshomaru huffed as he kicked off his boots, "Nonsense."

He picked up the first shoe and inspected it more. "You do not believe these to be too elaborate?" he asked when the first shoe slipped on with perfect ease to cover his foot completely from toe to ankle, showing off his black socks underneath though it didn't matter considering his pants would cover all of that. "Too elaborate!" his mother breathlessly gasped in her usual dramatic manner, "No such thing when it comes to fashion my dear boy you know that," she chided playfully. "Elaboration is one of the many things that make up the fabrics of fashion, and fashion leads to beauty, beauty leads to confidence, confidence leads to-"

"Vanity," he answered for her as he tied the first shoe.

"Is something wrong with such an acquired skill?" she questioned from her place on the chair that stood right next to him, his silver hair seen over her armrest. "I would hardly call it a skill rather than a mannerism," he fought back while slipping on his next shoe.

"Perhaps," she nodded with a smile still gracing her features. "The act of being much too prideful and conceited may seem like a poor trait to some, but in the end aren't we all arrogant in our own way." Her finger pointed to her clothes, "Take fashion for example, why do you think people dress in such extravagant wear, well to be noticed of course. What's wrong with wanting to show off new extravagant garments, everybody does it all the time; it's natural to want to feel just a little bit significant. Self-importance leads to confidence, and you and I both know such a skill leads to not vanity but success. Vanity is just the spinner that rotates the wheel of its cycles such as pride, conceitedness, arrogance."

"Then what of the ones who do not feel a need to be noticed through their wardrobe?" _That woman, a simple pair of jeans and a sweater…nothing too eye catching about that and her confidence seemed of the lower standard. She doesn't stand out as so important and yet she still caught my attention from the moment I saw her._

"That was merely an example; everyone takes pride in something, and when they do that's when the cycle of vanity starts again. Ours happen to be law, business, modeling, such and such. Byakuya over there holds much pride in his sense of fashion, and is quite arrogant with his tone at times. You see Sesshomaru you can be the most humble of people and yet the mark of vanity will always stain, it is not such a disgrace to carry out, and it is not such a bad thing to be conceited when the whole world carries that trait within their shadows."

She continued. "Nowadays people don't want to fall down such an ill-mannered path. They will just never understand there is nothing wrong with being just a little bit vain when the perks are that of becoming fabulous, and glamorous; in our world of vanity my son we love ourselves-"

Sesshomaru sighed through his nose, "and no one else," he ended the sentence having heard that last verse only too many times in his life. It may as well be a law to him. Love was not a living emotion in his world, not in a world where vanity ruled over compassion. _Everyone carries vanity huh? What about her…does she carry a form of arrogance and pride. Does vanity even exist within her? I need to find out._

The sounds of the entrance door ringing came to his ears, and he lifted his head to watch the counter girl leaving the building for whatever reason.

_I need to find her though…_

His eyes followed Sango for no particular reason, and soon the vision of another female entered his line of sight through the shop's double glass doors.

_I need to fin-_

Time seemed to have stopped in that waking moment; his eyes grew round and large while his golden pupils shrunk down to the size of small raisins. His lips slowly parted till his mouth became like an open gate for any intruders to pass on by, and he instinctively rose up as quick as a bullet till his body was as tall and as stilled as a pole. The shoe box was thrown without his knowing, and he felt his fingers jump numerous times.

It's her.

That childish umbrella of hers, he could see it through the glass doors. The counter girl was talking with a woman who held with her an umbrella that matched every bit of the one he remembered that young woman to have. A white daisy umbrella, just as he envisioned as well as remembered; he felt like he could practically see her head underneath it right now. The glare of the sun was too bright however, a large portion of her face was as white as his new shoes as far as he could see, all his eyes picked up was a happy smile talking away to the counter girl while the rest of her head lay sheltered away under the umbrella. Her fashion style; a white knee length dress with a blue sweater worn on the top, seemed much like the soft colored fashion he remembered her to wear before. Her hair was wavy, but he couldn't make out much, and yet her determined height and weight looked like they matched perfectly. How on earth could it be anyone else, who else would own that kind of umbrella at that age? It was the only way he felt he could distinguish her right now, and so far the chances of it not being her seemed pretty slim. It had to be her, he thought, it just had to be.

Please let it be her.

"Are you listening to me Sesshomaru," his mother snapped without success in gaining his acknowledgment. "Did my vanity lecture work, I was hoping it would open your eyes to make you reconsider your hopeless decision on that school before you went and bought all these…are you listening to me!"

Nothing fazed through his skull, not a shout, not a whisper, not even the unlaced shoe he failed to tie. His eyes were only on her, and without another second wasted Sesshomaru lifted his foot to begin the seemingly long journey down the long staircase where the fair princess at the end awaited for her white knight to hoist her away. Fate, however, would have none of it.

His shoe was suddenly tugged back by the discreet action of its untied laces being held under by his other foot. His dark cloud had returned as quickly as he thought the sun had appeared, and while his body stumbled down and the scene of stairs grew closer and closer to his face; Sesshomaru wondered just how many mirrors he broke, how many ladders he went under, how many black cats he's faced in order to receive the kind of luck he just had.

**AN: Anybody want to know if Rin will be in the next chapter? I wouldn't mind letting a little spoiler go free and say, yes she most certainly is!**

**I may have made Sesshomaru a little OOC like I've mentioned before, but it's AU I am not going to strive to put him in perfect character. I want to describe a young man fighting though the battles of pride and love, which is usually how I always write him xD**

**A few things I would like to explain about this chapter are: **

**1: I personally had no intentions of portraying Kagura's character as a slut or a bitch; maybe in other stories but not mine. I actually liked her character after a certain point in the anime, and at a time when I was younger I did ship her and Sesshomaru as a couple, back then at least. The point of her existence in my story is not to try and steal Sesshomaru away from anyone; I have her state that herself. Since I am trying to stray away from Rin's POV as much as I can I wanted a females view on Sesshomaru, and just thought that if she had the hots for him much like I felt she did in the anime then it would add a touch of drama to the story as well as represent a character with feelings that I am sure most have all experienced before when you are madly in love with someone, but in the end you just weren't meant to be. She may be a little ooc, and she's not perfect but if my story line continues as it is she is a very essential character to my plot so hate if you like, but I didn't lol **

**2: I am debating on whether or not to bring Byakuya's character out more in upcoming chapters because at first he was only meant be presented on this chapter and maybe one more, he would have wanted this role and I gladly gave it to him lol and since Jakotsu is a bad guy in this one I did purposely make Byakuya a little gay but I liked picturing him that way for comical purposes xD However more characters come to mind for comedy roles so I'm still not sure how much of Byakuya I want to show; after all when Sesshomaru begins college I'm sure some of you are expecting some familiar characters to show up, and too many characters written at once can sometimes be too much. I'm sure something will be decided; hoped you all enjoyed the descriptions of Sesshomaru's future style! Also if you have any ideas on something you would love him to wear feel free to tell me and I'll jot it down because like I mentioned before Sesshomaru's clothes will change; makes me glad I have him in college and not high school for that purpose lol **

**Let's see anything else to mention, I love portraying Sesshomaru's mother lol writing his father would have been cool too, but you get that sense that Sesshomaru and his mother are very similar in the anime so it's fun to write their mother-son relationship and have it be dysfunctionaly close. Sango was always intended to be the counter girl, I wonder if any of you first thought it was Rin. My friend did when she first read it, and then she got all fussy when it wasn't and nearly hit me when she read the ending lol She questions whether or not Sesshomaru is really my favorite character by how terrible I'm making his life, but I love him he's the reason I began writing these stories a whole year ago and still do even with my busy student life xD**

**Thank you guest reviewers:**

**Yuri18: lol that part about the mirror made me laugh I just had to mention it on the last scene of the chapter xD and that comment about the water is so interesting kinda like that ep from Inuyasha when they traveled through that river of blood to the afterlife, I bet I can incorporate that into later chapters too! Well you have one of the characters you've been wanting out lol and soon the others, and yes I loved writing Totosai, he just couldn't be left without a place in this. Thanks so much for the review, hoped you liked this chapter and hope you stay alert! **

**Aproova: I can always count on a heartwarming review from you, thanks so much :D I'm glad this captured your attention as well! MM is going to be just as long if not longer the fact that my flashdrive broke was the cause for a bit of the long wait, but other than that I can't really explain my long delay on updating that story writers block i guess, just hope you can forgive and that both this story was worth the wait, and MM update should be in less than a week hopefully!**

**Anonymous: Thank you so much for your review, I have never before received a comment calling my story "fascinating" and it was awesome to read that! And I have the answer to that question, but you'll just have to read to find out :) **

**Sphinx: Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint and answered a few questions you had. I haven't seen that anime you mentioned, but the scene you describe sounds pretty funny. I am not one to reveal spoilers too much, so can't really say I didn't really think about putting Bankotsu and Rin together like that, but it does give me something to think about :D**

**GreenSwuerrle: Thanks a bunch for the review, and yes I will agree to that! Bankotsu was so chill about everything, even death so that made him awesome in my handbook. Funny I didn't think he was going to look that good for being the leader at first lol I haven't yet thought about his ending in this story, but I think I have a few ideas so I hope you stay alert :) **


	4. The Maniac & The Maiden

**AN: I know I haven't been updating my stories as often as I would like to, please know it's mainly just every week at school deals with a speech, presentation, essay, or exam it blows. However, that doesn't keep me from writing whenever I get the chance and as you can see I hope I made the length of this chapter worth your wild; takes months till I update but the chapters for this story just get longer and longer so I hope that makes up for all the lost time! **

**As far as reviews go, I'm so sorry I can't do individual 'thanks you' to everyone who's commented. We're in the process of moving right now so I have to use the school's internet until I have my own again, so time is limited. That doesn't mean I don't read and appreciate every single one with all my heart , thanks a bunch for all the support you guys are great :D You can't imagine how awesome it is to write something not related to history lol this site always was a good little escape for me. Anyway, without further delay I hope you all enjoy, and feel free to pause between reading I had to do that like idk how many time :/ and I wrote it lol **

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters I am merely responsible for the plot and in no way make any profit from this. _

_**From Oxfords To Sneakers Chapter 4:**_

_**The Maniac in Pursuit & The Maiden In a Bind**_

_A chiming giggle drove his senses awake, and a brightly alluring light clouded his vision. He felt soft knuckles stroking his cheeks while gentle fingers brushed against his forehead to slide his silver bangs away from his face. The laughter continued, followed by his eyes catching sight of two, beautiful coco brown orbs staring down at him. _

_Immediately the tune was recognized, as if he's heard it all his life, and no sooner did he match a face to that lovely vocal sound before the image of round, pink dusted cheeks enter his vision along with a smooth, curved head and dark-chocolate locks; all of which accompanied those enchanting irises._

"_It's you," he said, his voice muffled. The feel of her dainty fingers stroking his face guided him into a blissful state of relaxation, and his head was suddenly suspended till the back met the warmth of a cushioned lap. The smile that was directed toward him never once faltered, and the eyes that gazed down into his shinned with absolute happiness. Happiness, he never imagined someone could ever be so happy to see him; it felt so right for that look to emit from her of all people. After so long, he's finally able to see her again, after so long she's finally within his reach. _

"_I've been looking for you," he confessed, and the fingers that danced along his skin came to a sudden halt. The smile that his eyes were magnetically pulled to simply brightened, if even possible; in return he felt the edge of his own lips give way to a small smirk. "I…" he swallowed his words not even a split second after he opened his mouth; he wanted to tell her just how deep his desire in wanting to see her had developed over the last month, but decided to oppose the idea when he thought of how deranged it would have been for her to suddenly hear a mere acquaintance admit their unexplainable need for her presence. _

_Unexplainable, that was perhaps the only suitable word he could give when nothing else seemed to lead to any reasonable conclusion as to why he was so happy to see this girl again. _

_A small chuckle was given as her response; maybe she knew exactly how he felt. True, he didn't know her very well, but thinking back on their previous encounter he felt that she carried with her that certain sense of insight that made him feel like her eyes were reading him like a book. Following her precious laugh, he began hearing the rising tune of soft humming, a human tactic he normally found annoying and yet now…now he felt like her voice could rival that of his most successful piano solos. _

_The soothing melody made the curve on his lips widen even further. Just as his behavior was about to undergo a major alteration, just as he was about to join in with her laughter, the hand that was traveling along his face separated from his fair coated skin and ascended toward his eyes. At first he didn't think much of what she was doing, he didn't even give a wonder as to why he was unable to move his body; that's the way it was when he first met her, and back then he didn't complain too much, so why bother now? _

_He felt her hand cover his eyes, and in an instant his brows creased; questioning her strange course of action. His world went dark, and all of a sudden a sharp ache began to form in his body. His head shook in a minor panic, trying to pry his eyes away from the darkness to see what manner of throbbing discomfort was invading his body._

His eyelids slowly began to rise, and the vision of the beautiful woman from before became nothing more than a memory when his eyes opened to a violet red ceiling with several lights shining down upon him. It took him a few seconds to register his previous encounter with that girl as just a pitiful dream, and took even longer for him to accept that it was far from real. Despite the small pain in his elbow, he cringed at the pain in his upper chest. With a muffled grunt he flung his arm over his face hoping that he would somehow be pulled back into his fantasy, and at the very least bid her a proper goodbye before he awoke again to face the reality of the true world, his own life. It was all just a dream.

_Damn…_

His knuckles bunched, and his body didn't take well to the added stress.

_Dammit…_

There was really no exact way to describe the swarm of dizziness that overwhelmed his brain; it was like a fire eating away at the wooden exterior of a bamboo hut. He lifted his arm away, and once again fluttered his dark lashed open in mild confusion. Sesshomaru felt like his brain had just taken a three hour long ride on a merry-go-round speeding at a rate that reminded him much more of a twister than a child's carnival ride.

Then to only add on to the burning sensation in his head, his body felt like it was just confined in a wooden barrel that spun out of control on one of the biggest hills in the city; the kind that little children make a legend out of when riding their bikes.

He was confused, nauseous, aching all along his arms and legs, and worse the culprit behind his fall was staring him straight in the face when he focused his gaze on his untied shoe laces.

A sharp pain pocked at his back, and with stifled groans he arched his spine to take out whatever object was impaling his skin. His hands came back with a broken pair of white sports sunglasses, another fair amount of money shredding in the blender of his bad luck. Other than that everything else seemed to be intact, and finally with a boiling rage let loose Sesshomaru shot his body up to tie his blasted shoe lace before anything worse became of his day.

He took a look around, and judging by his surrounding he was still in the clothing department with his rump laying lazily on the first step of the stairway; concluding that even though he remembered falling face first his body tumbled down ending with his back on the ground and his legs facing the stairs, or rather up the stairs.

"Well that was a near hospital emergency," he heard his mother state as he saw her walking down the stairs while her finger lingered over the green button that would start the emergency call she was about to make. "Any body parts broken and or injuries made to the head that I should call in help for?" she inquired, and as a result her son rubbed his head to make sure there was no red stain of oozing blood on his hand when he brought his palm back to inspect. No bumps, and no major bruises; after all he did remember covering his head before the fall. Instead he lifted his expensive sunglasses to show her what was lost in the process, and in return he heard her snickering laugh as his mother covered her wide lips with her hands.

"Well clumsy did I not advise you to be careful; typical for you to neglect the advice of your mother."

"Sesshomaru, are you alright?" Byakuya asked when he reached his model's side; if any bruises were seen on his flawless skin then the make-up artists might have their work cut out for them, oh and of course he was concerned for his health. "Do. You. Know. Who. I. Am?" he mouthed before a deadly glare snapped his trap closed. "Well excuse me for being concerned, but memory loss is one of the many effects of head injury."

"I wonder if we could use that excuse to scare the make-up off that counter girl when we tell her we own a law firm, and my son was just injured by this building's carpentry."

"Please don't be so cruel, My Lady," Byakuya chided as Sesshomaru rose to his feet.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Oh, I would say about a minute or two," the Lady answered dully, looking at her watch as if such a shiny accessory truly did accommodate her wrist.

Only a minute, he thought, how could such an overwhelming dream such as the one he recently had taken up only a minute of his insensible mind? He was still a little dazed as to what happened before the fall; it wasn't until the tinkling sound of the front door's bell brought back memories revolving around a cheeky grin, and an overgrown flower. _THAT GIRL!_

His head quickly turned in the direction of the door, but all disappointed came crashing down when that useless female employee came walking in, sipping on a canned tea. Yet where was the other girl? His eyes scanned the area for some overgrown daisy, but found none which indicated her absence was a result of her leaving. Despite the sore pain in his legs he ran for the glass doors, his arms waving back and forth like that of an Olympic runner, and his feet pounded so hard against the carpet floors his new shoes left printed indents.

"Hey, hey where do you think you're going?" the Lady exclaimed when Sesshomaru dashed from them as fast as a patient would try to outrun a dripping needle. She watched him brush past the counter girl; the impact between them was enough to make Sango spill some of her tea on her deep purple uniformed blouse, causing a surging curse to leave her system.

He was already halfway out the glass doorway; the faint nagging of his mother's voice carried with it one final message of, "And just who do you suppose is going to pay for all this?!" which followed him until the sun's warmth was felt licking away at his face, and the rubber soles of his new sneakers met the scorching heat of the concrete sidewalk.

Where could she be, he wasn't unconscious for a long period of time; one perhaps two minutes at best so it only made sense that she couldn't have gotten very far. His head turned left; scanning every open square inch of sidewalk, street, or visible alleyway for any sign of that umbrella. Anxiety began to take over; what if he lost her again? After searching for over a month, all the daydreaming, sleepless nights, constant trips to the commoner's supermarkets and noodle shops to see if she happened to be in the area. Commoners went to supermarkets right? They must have if they had no cooks to prepare their own meals so it only made- _What does that matter?_

His head quickly turned the other direction, the sun's heat barred down on his face making his eyes narrow themselves from the harsh yellow light invading his pupils; of all the times for him to break his sunglasses. He saw a few small blurry strips of buildings, a few female walkers but none he deemed the person he was hunting; then a good quarter mile down the road he noticed a multi-car trailer dropping off a new vehicle to a local garage near the corner of the street. For some odd reason the seemingly large car carrier caught his attention, if for only a split second.

The sounds of an oncoming train suddenly alerted all within hearing distance that a train was approaching. Sesshomaru heard the sounds clearly from where he was, the sight of the flashing red lights was an easy see from where he stood; his eyes followed the red and white gate that moved down to keep pedestrians away from the proximity of the train. It was in that instant that his eyes caught hold of something big, white, and moving as a very slow pace on the other side of the tracks.

Could it really be, he thought. It was like he was suddenly transported inside a cartoon where everything was suddenly given human like qualities such as square sponges with arms and legs or toasters with giant eyes. Well he was more than positive there was a giant daisy flower walking along on the other side of those tracks, with a lovely set of legs to match.

It was her!

He hadn't completely lost sight of her, and yet her presence was so far compared to before when she was only a staircase away; who knew that even stairs despised his guts but right now was not the time to care. He had to reach her, the distant sounds of bells ringing brought to life his next obstacle; he had to reach her before the train cut him off. He was already running out of time just standing around and thinking about it.

His body hurried for his motorcycle; meanwhile Kagura situated herself on the seat for the fourth time in a row, a proud smirk stretched out along the lining of her lips. "Oh what's that you say," she played around, acting as if her love interest was truly beside her the way preteens would talk to themselves in the mirror. "You didn't know I was capable of getting on one of these things by myself, well I'll have you know Sir that I once owned one of these babies in my high school years. Perhaps one day you'd like to drop by my place and have a look."

Her legs shifted as her little fantasy went on and she laughed purposely into the air while waving her hand in front of her. "You make me laugh, oh Sesshomaru you truly are-SESSHOMARU!" she bellowed in utter alarm when her real life crush raced passed her, and with the last bit of logic sprucing up from his brain Sesshomaru hastily began the millisecond process of getting a helmet to cover his shiny, silver head. For what reason he had to go 'safety mode' for he hadn't an ounce clue, yet a spark of intelligence told him that with the stakes being as high as they were, there was no telling just how dangerous the ride ahead was going to be.

Without a care as to whether or not neither of them had on any leather compression on their skin or hardcover protection, specifically on _her_ head, Kagura suddenly felt the engine of the motorcycle turn on with full force.

_What's going on, why is he in such a hurry!? Please don't tell me he caught me daydreaming, oh god my life may as well join all the other unwanted trash in the shredder disposal. _

With barely any amount of common sense telling him to look over his shoulder for traffic; Sesshomaru steered his bike into the road leaving behind a faint trail of exhaust, a confused assistant clinging to his torso for dear life, and a loud rumble of mechanical commotion that dragged all three of the other occupants still inside the department store to the glass window to get an eye full of what was happening.

"Just where does he think he's going?" the Lady questioned through a series of low growls, her hand reached for Byakuya's wrist and soon she was dragging him passed the door on their way to her vehicle. In addition, Byakuya accidentally whacked Sango across her arm, ultimately undoing her control of her can of tea and causing her to spill nearly all that was left on the rest of her dry uniform.

She sighed depressingly, and then her droopy eyes roamed the building till they landed on a skyscraping stack of boxes that she knew exactly who was going to have to unpack and put them all away, _I seriously need to take a long hard look at my job…_

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_I can't lose her, _he thought as his hand gripped the bike's handle bars and twisted to gain further agility till the buildings he passed started to become nothing more than a vision of blur; _I won't lose her again, not after all that I've done. _His mind was in frenzy, his body wouldn't stay still, and for every twitch of his muscles his jaw tightened twice as hard as before.

In the back of his head his fantasies were already sprucing up outcomes resulting from his unstable mind, and even worse his reckless sense of driving. Through his eyes this all could end either of two ways. He catches up to her, grabs her attention, she recognizes him, and from there he wisps her away on his motorcycle where they would then, slowly yet progressively, work out an arrangement pertaining to lunch dates, midnight dances, and settling into a happy committed relationship full of laughs and smiles. Perhaps that was a bit cliché, or just plain cheesy, heck who was he kidding; he never smiled. He's never given much thought on relationships even if his previous partners always did. It was a surprise to him that he thought so far ahead; date or no date he had to at the very least meet her again.

Of course with that in mind, as well as the unavoidable possibility of colliding head first into that oncoming train, this entire situation could also end with him regaining consciousness in the dry comforts of a hospital room overlooking plain white walls where his body looked like it had been mummified with casts and bandages, and his flaring hopes of every finding that girl dwindling down all the more drastically.

That's to say if he didn't wind up dead that is.

Was he asking for too much, he thought; was asking for a simple second chance meeting so much to plead for or was he just fooling himself?

She was after all, only a commoner. Those in his social circle would definitely see her as his only flaw, and while a good portion of him could hardly care if she shined like copper to his gold, a smaller side that housed his pride refused to acknowledge all his doings for her. A part of him still wished that he could have just continued on with his normal rich life at his normal rich school, a part of him still wished he had never met her. He did though, and this was the consequence of letting everything dealing with her pass without deeper thought or critical analysis.

What was he thinking; here he was in all his daredevil glory trying to out-beat the speed of a city train _just_ so that he could have the chance at seeing one simple girl again. He should have thought more about all this, he should have known better than to put silly emotions above his schooling-above his own life, but he couldn't stop himself. He should have tried harder, and examined all the pros and cons; maybe then he could have convinced himself beforehand to throw away the ridiculous idea of joining a junior college.

His stomach turned at the thought of a junior college, he felt like he was walking down on an escalator that was moving up. He had things topsy turvy, and he should have known better. There were a lot of things that he should have done, and here he was performing tasks that he never thought he would ever find himself doing.

Perhaps it was time that he stopped fighting against the current, and just allowed it to take him wherever it so pleased.

What a foolish thing for a future law tycoon to say, but why reprimand himself for the past when there was nothing he could do now but work towards his future, and right now his future was walking further and further away while that train was only speeding up its approach.

If he didn't enhance his own speed then he'll never be able to make it. He turned up the heat, and if it were even possible the blast of wind sliding through his thin blue shirt intensified, while the arrow calculating the speed on his gauge winded further and further to the right. 50 miles, 60 miles, 70 miles, how fast did he have to go to assure himself that he will make it in time to reach the other side of those tracks. 90 miles…how fast did he have to go to assure himself that he will even survive to see the next day? 100 miles…

"What are you doing, Sesshomaru!" Kagura bellowed from her position in the back seat. She didn't understand a single thing that was happening; one minute Sesshomaru got on the motorcycle, and within the next few seconds he's managed to fasten them both on a hellish journey while her hair battled it out with the blazing wind that struck against her skin like needles and screeched against her ears like nails to a chalkboard. The buildings were hardly even recognizable, and it terrified her to know that instead of slowing down like any sane person would, their speed only seemed to increase. "Sesshomaru, can you hear me!"

No, far from it he really couldn't comprehend a single word said; his mind too concentrated, too far off in his own little world to even realize that there was even another passenger with him. He was anxious, nauseous; an even worse combination than pickles and peanut butter. Not only that, be he was extremely worried. He's taken many physics classes to know how this would all turn out. He began estimating the distance between him and the tracks and taking into consideration the average speed that any normal city train would travel when nearing a pedestrian section plus his own accelerated speed, not forgetting to consider his increase body mass. All calculations let do one heart jumping conclusion.

He wasn't going to make it.

He was most definitely correct, within half a second later his honey-gold eyes widened at the sight of a pearly-white nose front zooming its way into his line of sight, the rest of the train's snake-like figure following along at a breathtaking pace. Fear pierced its torturous needles through his body when he saw the distant image of that familiar woman disappear, and replaced with a blur or clear glass windows.

_No…_

He knew what would happen next, he's seen it many times in dramatic movie. The train would disappear down the road, and in the process there would be nothing but empty space occupying the other side of those rail tracks. The woman would vanish by the time the rails cleared; she was already a considerable distance away as it was. By the time the train moved on he felt no doubt in his mind that she would once again disappear from his life, leaving him with only that five second memory of her talking outside to that counter girl.

His fingers reached for the breaks to his vehicle, but in the heat of the moment he hesitated. He couldn't do it, his fingers couldn't move and his speed didn't decrease in the slightest. In fact, rather than decrease he felt the rush of air intensify around him, drawing him to the conclusion that his was actually going faster. His body was crazy enough to keep going but in his head his brain was weeping in anguish at his muscles' involuntary movements. As if someone switched him to autopilot and there was no button to switch him back to self-control. As the sight of the train drew closer and closer, his eyes searched for a reasonable solution out of the mess he created for himself. Some small miracle that could get his eyes back on that woman, and his body as far away from that train as possible.

In a fidgety, head-turning second, he found just that miracle.

_Sesshomaru, what are you doing! _Kagura thought just before a wave of bile rose to her throat when she felt the bike steer to the right, the wheels zipping near the curb of the sidewalk. Her eyes looked on in horror over his shoulder when she saw what awaited them along their death-road. A large multi-car trailer lay straight down their path; the steel metal beams were completely bare of any vehicle, leaving a ramp like structure in its wake, a perfect miracle if Sesshomaru ever saw one. Kagura however, was unconvinced, _Sesshomaru what the hell are you doing!_

"What the hell is he doing?!" Byakuya bellowed from his seat in the passenger side of his Lady's Honda. Her car was speeding right after Sesshomaru on the same empty road; the Lady's face displayed a snarl of fury while Byakuya leaned his head straight out the window like an open-mouthed dog.

"Being a complete idiot, that's what," The Lady huffed, "At this rate he'll collide head first into that train!"

"Then why isn't he stopping," Byakuya argued while his body betrayed his tone of worry as he started taking sample shots of Sesshomaru with his portable camera. "He's speeding up as if…." The mechanical monstrosity finally fell into his camera's vision, "Oh he wouldn't…"

The couple watched in dismay as the fair skinned rider made his way passed a small, frightened group of pedestrians, each barely making it out of his way just in time.

"He would…" The Lady insipidly proclaimed.

Back on the bike Kagura felt a significant increase in speed, and with full force she felt Sesshomaru push his body forward toward the steel-metal ramp while the motorcycle roared its approval into the air; the distant sounds of rowdy protests fell on deaf ears as Sesshomaru only had one thought in mind.

_I will not lose her again._

"SESSHOMARU!" Kagura screeched; she was sure her voice was lost to the wind. Everything happened so slowly and yet the mixture of colors darting past her wine-colored eyes proved just how deep the depth of their speed had gone. She felt the her body tilt up, meaning they were already driving up the ramp; her eyes decided half-way through to just bury themselves against Sesshomaru soft cotton shit. If she was going to die then at least she can die with his scent close. Time seemed to slow, and suddenly, just like that, she felt the clocks start to tick again. She felt the vigorous rush of wind blow past her skin as the bike drove off the ramp, and to her surprise her driver had actually managed to get the bike high enough over the train. From below Kagura could make out the faint image of the moving train, even the whistle went off, although she doubt Sesshomaru really paid any mind to it.

In a way, the slight decrease in gravity and tickling butterflies in her stomach made the ride a little exhilarating…but then there came the fall.

Kagura didn't know how to precisely describe it. They fell at a rate that had her head feeling dizzy, and her body feeling as light as a feather. She heard more people screaming, probably a few people on the other side of the tracks; all of whom were not expecting to see a motorcycle just leap out of nowhere from behind the train. She felt Sesshomaru jolt back, bringing the bike with him. Then suddenly everything came crashing down on her, the back tire hit the ground with full force and Kagura clutched onto her driver like a cat to a scratch post.

Sesshomaru on the other hand, kept his cool the entire time. Sure, his heart beat with anticipation once he leaped off the ramp, but the moment his eyes still caught hold of that walking daisy he felt like he was riding amongst the clouds.

Of course, reality crashed down on him too once he realized that is he didn't pull back the only thing that would meet his face would be a hot layer of gravel. Once the front tire hit home he knew the whole ordeal was over and he could put his little stunt behind him. The ride continued on solid ground, people were shouting out for his attention because apparently the ordeal he just put himself through did not go unnoticed. It didn't matter to him though, none of them mattered, nothing really matter except for the woman walking away on him.

His motorcycle roared once again, growling out its dominance over the empty street as he sped along the road until he was but a few feet from his target. The sounds of his ride already caught her attention, he could tell when she came to an abrupt halt. His excitement grew, he caught a small glimpse of her wavy, dark hair and already the memories of their first meeting resurfaced.

After so long he's finally able to see her again. He steered his bike to stop just a few feet in front of her on the sidewalk, and saw her lengthy hair turn back in surprise, her small gasp hinting her bewilderment. The hair that hid some of her peachy, tan skin from his view was moved back with her own fingers to reveal the ample countenance of her beautiful face to his astonished gaze.

His gasp soon after was nothing short of sudden.

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"Uh…excuse me," a soft, sweet voice called out, directing the waiter back to the young woman he just finished delivering his order to. "Something wrong miss, did we get your noodles wrong?"

"No, no," she brushed off, her hands swinging back and forth to add onto her point, "Nothing like that it's just…well you forgot to tell me how much I owe you." The young waiter couldn't understand what she was referring to, didn't she know that…Suddenly it donned on him like a baseball to the head. "Oh, my apologies, I'm new here and only assumed you already knew."

"Already knew what?" she asked with her soft brow arched up high, and her mouth shaped in the form of a small circle. With attentive eyes she watched as the young man left her table, and after a quick trip to the back room he returned to place a clean, flat, gold card down on the wooden board for the woman to take a look at. "What is this?" she asked, her pupils scanned over the card, and her eyes blinked twice at the familiar writing; almost as if she's seen it before.

"Well this is just my orders from the boss," the waiter laughed, "This might sound strange, maybe even a little funny. You see about a month ago a young man came walking into this shop, I believe he was asking for you, asking if we knew anything about you such as your name and if you visited this shop on a regular basis."

The woman's brows furrowed; her stare a little frightened. "I…I certainly hope you didn't give him any of that information."

"Not at all miss, but after telling him that, as well as your previous order from our menu the young gentlemen suddenly grew furious for some reason. Well anyway, he left a large sum of money on the counter along with that card, and told us that if ever a time came when you stopped by for noodles to simply take the money you owe off the amount he gave us, and to give you this card the next time we saw you."

"Oh…" The woman's eyes darted back to the shiny golden card; in bold cursive writing the name _**Meidou Zangetsuha Law Firm**_ was seen at the very top of the card along with a small picture of the building and an assortment of neatly printed names and numerous work and cell numbers. Her expression was a mixture of curiosity, misunderstanding, and wonder. Her brows knitted together.

The waiter spruced up a small chuckle. "You're lucky my boss spotted you when you walked in, he automatically recognized you and filled me in on your lucky break. Had it just been me I wouldn't have known and might have ended up charging you for the whole meal."

The woman looked up to him; her shaky voice betrayed the brave smile she put up, "Please tell me, what did the man look like?"

The waiter thought for a moment, "Well I didn't really get a look, but he's been the talk of the shop for a while now. He was a character, or so I've heard; he had long white hair and the fairest skin anyone's ever seen. He was wearing a business suit, and also had these odd colored eyes, I think they were said to be….red, no….um maybe they were purple?"

While the waiter thought back on the stories told about the scary looking customer that threatened to beat the previous employee's faces in for their lack of cooperation, the young woman's eyes glistened with empathy and gratitude while her mouth stretched out to form the brightest of smiles that even had the young waiter blushing from its sweetness.

His mouth watered; her heart- shaped face was delectable, her shoulders were perfectly curved, and already he began sizing up her chest to start making assumptions about her bra size.

_Get a hold of yourself Miroku, _he scolded himself, _One more crack like that and the boss is sure to notice, you need the money so eyes on the prize._

His deep blue eyes wandered down to the young woman's legs, which were bent on the pillow accommodating the low eating table. She wore a ruffled, light yellow skirt, and he began creating an imaginary line starting from her knees up till he reached the small curve of the girl's subtle hips, and imagined the glorious sight of her round soft behind.

_Not that prize!_

"I see," she finally said, a light-pink color was painted over her cheeks which drew her waiter back to his earlier attention on her face. Sweat began to bead his brow, hoping she didn't take notice of him staring. "Did he look well?" she asked, the concern evident through her lips, "I-I mean, did he seem like he was in any pain when he brought this in?"

"I wouldn't know," he answered truthfully, "but for him to scare the pants off the staff, I would presume he was just fine," he chuckled. She laughed as well, "That sounds like him, he was a bit rough along the edges when we met, but then again I couldn't blame him," she thought out loud. "Well the least I can do is say thank you to him. So many numbers though…I don't even know if any are his; at least there is an address. Does he work for this company I wonder?"

"Uh…Miss?"

"Oh sorry," she laughed before gently placing the card in the small pocket within her short-sleeved pink cardigan sweater. "Just thinking is all; actually I've decided to go and pay the man a visit to thank him. I would really appreciate giving him his money back, do you think you can get me the sum he put on the table?"

_Oh wonderful, she's a nice girl. _

"Sorry Miss, but we've already transmitted the money in as a store credit, we can't go around carrying all that cash, might give a robber his lucky day. It was a generous offer the fellow made, I say you should accept."

Miroku's face slanted, a sharp stab of guilt always did a number on his heart when he tried to take advantage of the nice ones, that fact alone repeatedly reminded him that underneath his perverted gaze there was indeed a nice guy lurking about_. _His dark head lowered, revealing his small ponytail. _Oh well, guess I'm going to have to let this one go, to bad…she was a real cutie. _

"Much too generous though," she countered back, her smile never wavering but her posture slouched. "I never wanted anything in return…" Her mind spilled off through her tongue again, an amusing habit that Miroku found almost too 'cute' especially since the girl had not an ounce clue she was even thinking out loud.

_OH….Curse my gentlemen-like manners on the innocent ones!_

"Well why don't you discuss it with him first, if you ask me he certainly doesn't sound like the type of guy to be taking 'no' for an answer," he nervously laughed, earning a small chuckle from her.

"Yes, he did seem a bit persistent; of course I didn't mind," she whispered near the end, her tone a little timid. "Maybe you're right," she accepted, "Very well then, but before I go do you mind telling me my balance now, perhaps I can just pay him back."

Miroku nodded with a winking smile before quickly running off to get to work on the register as he typed away on a few buttons and numbers. Meanwhile, back at her table the young woman decided to take a small bite of her bowl of noodles. She split her chopsticks and with heavy manners she took a small bite out of her meal, making small slurps as she took in her noodles and hummed in satisfaction at its taste and texture. "This is delicious," she grinned as she lifted the bowl to take a sip of the rich broth. "The best bowl I've ever had," she continued with a small blush while her mind began to wander elsewhere, "I still can't believe he did this."

Immediately following the thought the woman paused in her meal to quickly begin digging in her yellow handbag for the electronic contraption she hoped would jumpstart her plans in properly thanking her benefactor. With a simple purple cellphone now in hand, she flipped it open only to find a text message awaiting her attention.

_How does a lunch date around 12 o'clock sound, Sango and I are dying to catch up? _

The coco-eyed woman gaped at her steaming noodle dish and took half the meal, which already began settling into her stomach, into account. Immediately sighing into the air, her fingers went to working on texting back.

_Sounds great! Mooshin's noodle shop sound okay? _

Within a few minutes the purple cell buzzed once again, and soon a small conversation begun through a series of phone messages.

_ Great minds think alike, see you there! _

_See you then, oh btw do you mind doing me a huge favor before we meet up? _

_Sure, if I can; what is it you need?_

She typed away on her reply; her mind almost unaware of the oncoming footsteps of her waiter. "Alrighty then Miss, minus what you've just paid for your balance is now 392,608 yen."

The chopsticks in her hand snapped and within a few seconds a full bowl of noodles went crashing on the table leaving behind puddles of liquid brown broth, some even dirtying her clean yellow skirt, and stringy noodles splattering everywhere along the polished tablet surface; resembling that of a horrifying movie scenes of spilled brains. The woman's hands were shaken, and Miroku gawked at the scene while he felt the tip of his eyebrow twitch vividly.

The woman looked at her waiter; her expression dismayed much like Miroku's. "Eh...eh…th-th-392,608 yen…!"

The woman phone buzzed again, and in spite of her dazed expression she still read the clear text written back by her friend. _You owe me big time for that favor! _it said, and quite frankly the reader couldn't care, not when she had this new weight added onto her shoulders, nearly 5,000 pounds of weight.

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_What's going on_, he thought as his eyes scanned in on his subject. Same childish umbrella, nearly the same height and weight as far as he could tell, heck there was even a small similarity in the face…but as far as everything else…

"What the hell is wrong with you, are you blind!" an enraged, female voice shouted out straight to his face.

This was not her!

So different, he noticed; the hair color; the woman he wanted, hers was a rich dark-brown and this one's…was not. The eye color, he wanted to see the dark cinnamon eyes that made his heart pound, now all he gets is fiery eyes that looked at him with certain viciousness.

"You can't just drive your bike up the sidewalk like that you moron, do you realize you could have hit me!" she kept yelling, cheeks aflame, and eyes brimming with anger.

For god's sakes this woman's attitude already gave him a bad taste in his mouth. Never had a woman treated him with such disrespect, aside from his mother, but that was normal as far as he was concerned.

He had yet to give a reply, the entire time he felt his mouth open in a small gesture of shock with his eyes not too far behind in showing off his confusion. Where did he go wrong, he thought he had her, he was sure he did the moment that white umbrella came into the picture. All his hope, excitement, happiness; it all derived on that one image of a woman carrying a daisy umbrella.

He falls down a flight of stairs for that image, chases after that image; drives at speeds beyond safety measure. Dammit all, he nearly got himself hit by a train! All just to see that image in its truest form.

Now that he thinks he's finally done what he was starting to perceive as impossible, what happens? He gets ridiculed for his actions, mocked for his stupidity, and is overall yelled at; and by whom? Some out of the blue woman who thinks she has the right to play with his emotions the way she did. His confusion was quickly manifesting into anger. How dare she, he thought, how dare she carry around that stupid umbrella; making him believe the things he did, making him hope for the best when in the end all he gets is the worst (well technically getting hit by that train would have been far worse, but with that put aside) he was pissed, beyond pissed to be precise; his anger rose like the heat in a thermometer.

What he'd give to take off his helmet and fling it at the woman's face, how dare she trick him, toy with him; whether or not it was intentional he really couldn't care at the moment. He could blame it on a lot of things but right now he thought it best to blow off a bit of steam on the very creature who was only adding insult to injury with each additional yell she gave him.

His brows narrowed, his teeth gritted together, and his hands tightened into coiled fists, "What moron carries an umbrella on a sunny day," he hissed, and she backed away in surprise.

"Hey listen, it's hot out ok," the woman countered, "I just thought that-"

"I could care less what you thought!" He cut her off, his tone like venom, "Had it not been for your idiotic taste in rain equipment and foolish sense of time I wouldn't be wasting my time listening to you screech like a banshee!" He growled, "In fact, I rather not spend another second of my valuable time mingling with your pathetic excuse for a life," he used his foot to kick the engine into high gear once again. "You have my hopes that the next vehicle hits," he spat out just before taking off down the road, leaving the woman completely dumbfounded.

"W-What the He-you come back here right now!" she screamed as she ran out in the middle of the road with the delusion that she may just catch up to the jerk who nearly ran her over. A honk from behind however, put some sense back into her skull when she turned to see a red vehicle approaching her head on and a dark haired, ponytailed man lean his head out the window to shoo her away.

Lucky for her these people had no intentions of running her over, and soon her body was back in the vicinity of the sidewalk. She voiced her anger in a sneering growl; her own fists were tight at her side and before she felt the urge to punch anything she quickly drew out her phone to express her anger in a few messages.

One went to one friend, a friend she previously encountered and her seething message read, _As of this moment I officially hate men!_

The reply, _Lol if that message was supposed to get me to fall in love with you, you'll have to rethink your tactics._

The woman palmed her forehead, "Ugh, Sango that's not what I meant!"

While that conversation when on she sent another message meant for an entirely different recipient who was also classified as another one of woman's very best friends, _You owe me big time for that favor!_

Her reply, nothing.

Meanwhile, a few miles down from the rail tracks Sesshomaru finally found the resolve to stop. He parked alongside a curb, on a street he didn't care to know the name of. With a simple click of the strap he pulled off his helmet and shook his head a few times to let the strands of his silver hair loose. He was still angry, that was very much indeed true. However, the desire to pounds his head against a brick wall was no longer on his mind. Now that he thought back, perhaps he was a bit too harsh on that woman, but she had better think twice if she thought he was going to drive all the way back to apologize.

She was too overly dramatic, as if he actually had the motives to strike her down with his motorcycle. He felt that in no way, shape, or form was that entire accident any of his fault, she's to blame for drawing all the wrong conclusions. How he could have ever mistaken her for that coco-eyed maiden in his memories was beyond him.

It wasn't fair, he thought, none of this was any fair. Was it too much to ask to see that woman again, to spoil her with treasures he had a feeling she never had, and bath her with this _unusual_ feeling inside his chest. He wanted to take her to parties, dances, midnight strolls through his mother's exotic gardens and play her the richest of songs on one of his many foreign pianos. To have his arm forever linked around hers, her smile always nearby for his viewing pleasure. He would love to take her out to a fancy dinner.

He began banging his helmet against his bike. Or at least treat her to a cup of coffee!

The echoed sounds of a car's honk drew his head over his shoulder. He watched as his mother's car came to a stop along the same curb, and with brute force she flung her car door open; walking out of with the additional click of her heels. Her anger did not go pass her son's acknowledgment, he could tell by the way she folded her arms, and to show that he had never intended to cause her worry he kept his lips sealed; awaiting to see what it was she had to say.

She walked up to him; her perfect posture and vigorous glare were completely identical to his. She raised a hand, a gesture which he first mistook as a sign that she was about to slap him across the face, but instead she held up one finger, and he gave her the minute she asked for. Byakuya watched from the sidelines, he wasn't even the one in trouble and yet just by the Lady's negative energy alone he felt his knees begin to buckle. How Sesshomaru managed to stay as calm as a cucumber was beyond him.

The Lady pinched the area between her brows, a technique Byakuya had often seen Sesshomaru do as well. "There're some documents in my top desk that need to be signed and filed away," she started out, and Sesshomaru quirked his brow.

"I'm sure you'll be able to manage that right? Just forge my name; I know you can match my signature you've done it in the past with your school papers. Also, a few case folders need to be looked over and approved of, the lawyers I'm sure will trust your judgment. After that I need you to call and reschedule my appointed meeting with Midoriko industries from Tuesday to Thursday, you can handle that can't you; they find it rude when we send messages through our secretaries."

Sesshomaru's felt the side of his lip twitch, was this her way of getting back at him?

"You'll have to take my place at the 5 o'clock meeting, you don't necessarily have to participate, heaven knows those meetings bore me to dead, but it would be nice for you to take some notes and go through them with me tomorrow. While you're there you may as well be the coffee boy, I mean I know signing papers and creaming coffee isn't as exciting as jumping over trains but you can handle it," her face moved closer to his, "Can't you?"

He battled the urge to sigh; this was indeed her way of getting back at him.

"Well," she said, "can't you?"

He turned his head from her, his face was impassive and his eyes were unreadable. He refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing that her orders were going to give him a headache by the end of the day, and he refused to beg for mercy like a whimpering kitten. "Hn," was all he managed to get out.

"Good," she smiled wickedly before turning on her heels and heading back to her car, "I need to loosen up with a drink so I'll be home late, don't wait up," she waved. "Care to join me Byakuya?" she asked, her mood a complete reflection of what it once was; he figured that with Sesshomaru just fine and her work day just cut short who wouldn't be in a good mood.

"Would love too I know this excellent little bar in town," he said as he waved off to his male model.

"Oh and Kagura," the Lady called out to the ghostly pale figure that had her arms practically dug into her son's side, oddly enough Sesshomaru hardly noticed as he kept making shallow taps with his helmet against his head. "Have Sesshomaru see you back to the office, you're free for the rest of the day. My son has a lot of work to do today so I would like that he not be disturbed."

Sesshomaru stopped his assault to his forehead to look behind him; he had completely forgotten she was there.

The wide set of eyes that graced the secretaries face suddenly blinked, as if she's been awoken out of a nightmare. The moment she felt the bike hit ground her body suddenly froze, her arms wrapped around her driver's torso where they remained for a good while as her entire body whitened from the frightening experience she just went through. She overheard the argument Sesshomaru had with a woman on the street, and though she had the desire to back him up and defend him, her voice was lost in her previous screams.

She's been on carnival rides that had her body falling at heights beyond city buildings, and yet she's always managed to keep her voice. Not this time obviously. Back in her teenage years the craziest she ever went was driving down an open road reaching speeds over a hundred, but reaching speeds over a hundred in order to jump a train….

A surprising gesture was then made when Kagura suddenly felt an object being placed on her head. Her face tilted up to find that it was Sesshomaru's helmet, no longer colliding with his now pinkish forehead. She faced him with a confused expression. "You should have mentioned you were there, I would not have been the one wearing this," he said.

Kagura found her face turning red, partly out of anger over the fact that she did try to get his attention along the way, but how could she stay mad at someone who was giving up their only means of protection to her. She tried to mouth out a sincere thank you, but her voice was hoarse and out of commission for the moment, all she could do was smile. He nodded his head before turning around as his foot started up the engine again.

_He's a maniac._

Again she wrapped her arms loosely around his torso, and nuzzled her face against his back.

_A gorgeous, gorgeous maniac._

It was then that it donned on her, she had the day off! In an instant her pounding heart sulked at realizing that the moment she got back to the office it was time to clock out and leave the object of her desire. Her boss would not be happy the next day if she found out the reason for her unfinished work was because her secretary was distracting her son by trying to put the moves on him. She'd be fired for sure.

"Life sucks!" she moped against his back.

"Truer words have never been spoken," he actually replied, referring to his own bad luck which caused her to laugh, enjoying her time with him while she could.

Sesshomaru watched as his mother drove away until he too began to leave. In some small part of his brain he was glad she filled the rest of his day with paperwork, it would get his mind off _her_. The only thing keeping his day from being a complete disappointment was that he got a few new clothes out of it…or at least he thought he did. Now that his mother was gone he let out a small sigh, he completely forgot about the clothes at the department store. He supposed he could have simple gone back to purchase them, but seeing the spot where he _thought_ he saw the woman from his past was only going to rub salt on the wound.

Just one more week though, one more week and the search would instantly progress. He's sure to find her by then, and after that the road to romance would be an easy breeze to handle. However, a new cloud of darkness began to arise.

What if she's forgotten?

Now it was his turn to fall prey to sulking, though the weather was sunny he himself couldn't remember the last time he felt so gloomy. What if their encounter wasn't important enough for her to remember while it was all he finds himself thinking about? Was it a bad thing, yes, no? He wanted to be an average Joe through her eyes yes, but being an average looking guy didn't mean he had to be a complete stranger.

This was wonderful, now no matter how many documents he signs he won't be able to overcome this new wave of nerves. How could he, he was doing this all for her and yet…

_What if she has forgotten everything about me…?_

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A pair of white high-heeled sandals entered the small noddle shop, the woman dressed in a summer white dress and short baby blue sweater clutched tight to the rich purple paper that was used to wrap around a bouquet of flowers in her lefts arm. While in her right a white umbrella was tucked neatly under her elbow along with a beige purse that hung over her shoulders. The tip of her heels clicked against the wooden boards before the echo of a familiar voice dragged dusky blue eyes in the direction of warm cinnamon colored irises. "Kagome!"

"Rin!" she called back, meeting her friend's soothing wave before slipping off her shoes to join her company on the tatami flooring as she settled into a cushioned pillow near a low tea table. "It's great to see you again, you've been gone for how may years now?" Kagome teased as she set her purse and supplies down beside her; her smile as equally as clever as that of her friend's.

Rin chuckled, "You and I must have a different take on time, 'cause I specially remember being gone for only a month," she replied in a matter of fact tone, "but yes, it feels wonderful to be back home again. I missed my friends, plus let me tell you there aren't too many noddle shops in Texas."

With a gentle grace Kagome watched with pure joy as Rin savored the sweet aroma of her freshly delivered tea; how she had missed her dearest friend. Rin was always full of smiles, something Kagome found as a source of comfort when her busy days proved far too difficult to handle at times. There was something very optimistic about the atmosphere that her cheerful associate carried; something that could make anyone believe that when things got tough everything was all going to work out in the end.

"We've all missed you too, have you eaten already? I heard this place just put up a new noodle dish on the menu, and lucky for them I'm famished; haven't had a bite to eat since breakfast."

Rin shook her head, her eyes beaming down the steamy cup of tea resting in between her hands. "I just finished eating, sorry. Had I received her text earlier about a lunch date I would have held off on my appetite but…Hey, where's Sango, isn't she coming?"

"Poor girl was held off at work," Kagome frowned, the disappointment obvious through her lips. "Oh," Rin blinked as her shoulders slumped, "Too bad, it's never the same without her, but isn't that a good thing though? Last I heard, wasn't she in desperate need of a job?"

"Yeah, but I don't think being the only employee of an empty department store was really her ideal plan of a summer job. It was the only thing available, and she was desperate at the time so she applied and wouldn't you know it."

"Well I'm still happy for her, at least she won't be so stressed about money now," Rin enlightened.

"True, but she often says working there is as entertaining as watching paint dry; trust me, I've been there it is capital B boring. Surprisingly though, she had a few customers today, they must have been rich judging by their sporty vehicles. I went to go meet up with her so we could both see you at once but sadly she was preoccupied with waiting hand and foot on Miss…how did Sango put it again…'Lady-Bitches-A lot' or…something to that affect." The two choked down a poor attempt to hide their laughter.

"Sounds like Sango hasn't changed one bit," Rin snickered, "Guess it's just the two of us then, go ahead and order I already had plenty to eat, and at a _very_ low price too," she winked. Kagome tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean, this place is hardly ever cheap. Its highway robbery, is what it is?"

The brunette laughed, "You've been spending way too much time around my grandmother, but I'm grateful for all your help in checking in on her. Let's eat first, and then I'll explain my financial situation here," Rin smiled brilliantly while Kagome grew curious as to the growing blush that began to scatter all across her friend's cheeks. _Oh Rin, thank goodness you haven't changed one bit either._

"Works for me, besides I also have some juicy stories that are soon to be ripe for the telling," Kagome's eyes quickly narrowing into a furious glare, a glare she was sure her friends have seen only too many times in the past when life decided throw a curb at her, making the otherwise kind woman a ticking time bomb ready to explode at the slightest frustration. "Like today for example, there was this guy on a motorcycle that rudely cut right in my way on the sidewalk I…." She quieted upon Rin's blank stare. "UGH! I don't even want to talk about it right now, it'll ruin the moon; I just want to get some food in my system and then I'll explain the whole thing later in details."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm," Rin all too quickly agreed while her eyes brimmed with relief.

Kagome began scanning her eyes across the old fashioned restaurant, "Now then, while we wait for our WAITER," she excessively blurted out, "I want you to start spilling some details."

"Come on tell me, how was your trip?" she insisted on knowing with an added wink. "What was it like in the U.S and how is Kohaku doing? Is he adapting well to the university life there in Texas, and do all people wear cowboy hats like I heard they do?"

The last remark had Rin choke on her tea, a fit of giggles escaped, "No, of course not," she laughed, referring to the hat comment. "Well, a few do that's for sure, and I won't lie there are more ranches there than you can imagine when you take a country drive. Cows everywhere Kagome, much more there than what we have here." Rin took yet another sip of her tea as Kagome's mouth pursed up, "Sounds like Texas is just one big ranch."

"Hardly," Rin corrected, "On my way to Kohaku's university the tour bus had me passing by one of the state's biggest cities which I think it was pronounced as…San Antonio I believe. It was so gorgeous, building as tall as the eye can see and stores as big as the state itself. People everywhere, and they all came in different styled clothing, sizes, shapes, races; many I'm sure were interracial and yes, there were some that wore cowboy hats too," she smiled. "One thing I was so mesmerized with was the whole system of direction; it was very confusing to me. Roads were extended high into the air and suspended by strong metal beams; it almost looked like the streets were one big roller coaster at times."

"Au-huh, interesting," Kagome nodded; her voice monotone. "What about the stores; are the clothes there any good, I heard the styles in America are always up-to-date."

"So-so, to be honest I wasn't able to shop around much; I saw plenty of malls though, all of which were the size of small towns and bursting with people. The styles and trends are…well it's a little different from here, but certainly not something to underestimate."

"Does that include the men too?!"

"Kagome," Rin snickered.

"What?" she said, "It's not like I'm still attached or anything. Since me and Hojo broke up last month we haven't spoken a word about getting back together," she informed her stumped audience.

"You still don't think it's too early though?" Rin questioned with her brow arched high in surprise, "Is-is it really ok…I-I mean…is a month considered to be enough time to wait till you began a new relationship?" Coco brown orbs drew away in embarrassment, "Or at least begin seeing someone new?"

Now it was Kagome's turn to present the look of bafflement, "Where did that question come from, you make it sound like _you're_ the single one."

Rin's mouth opened to offer a decent response, but her breath hitched in mid-sentence before she cast her eyes downward as if to avoid the topic from traveling any further. An air of silence flowed around their table after that, a silence that Kagome refused to allow to go any further after a full minute had passed. "Rin, look at me," she gently coaxed as she tried to calm the twitching muscle in her friend's shoulder.

"Rin," Kagome hesitated, she pried her mind for the right words to make her question seem mildly sensitive and yet at the same time as straight to the point as possible, "Did you and Kohaku…um…are you now rowing in the same singles boat I am?" _Oh smooth, _Kagome's slender palm reacted to her cheesy comment and founds its way to the center of her soon-to-be reddened forehead.

Without further delay Rin brought her head up, even she felt the need for a much anticipated face palm, "Huh? Well…"

"DON'T TELL ME HE CHEATED ON YOU?!"

"NONO!" Rin immediately bellowed back, both she and her counterpart completely oblivious to the numerous peeks and stares that was directed from a tableful of nosy customers behind them. "No, he didn't cheat on me," Rin repeated, her toned hushed as her face took on a scarlet tint when she finally caught on to their high pitch shouts, "And no, we didn't break up either, but…well…my visit didn't exactly turn out as hoped."

Kagome tried to hold back her surprise, "Did you two have another fight? Geez that would make two in a row, I remember back when you stopped by my place and we were talking about the recent breakup between me and Hojo; you mentioned something about an argument you had with Kohaku over the phone."

Rin's knuckled began to bunch as she added pressure to the warm teacup currently occupying her folded hands. "The argument we had that night was just him being crabby over how I neglected to make any plans to visit him over the summer, just my luck that he decided to stay there during his entire vacation time to start working. That fight was silly, most of our fights are, they just deal with meaningless little things like if he zones me out with his music player or if I start humming for no apparent reason during the day. You know, little things we do that just so happens to annoy one other."

Soft brows drew together expressing the rare, fuming side of Rin that Kagome always felt fortunate to see. "He just made me mad that night, of course I wanted to see him again but I was starting to wonder if money grew on trees in Texas, 'cause they certainly didn't grow around here. I don't know where he expected me to get the money to travel all the way to America, honestly; at least when he visits during holidays his trips are paid for by that program he's in. He's lucky I felt guilty afterwards and scrapped together some cash from my scholarships last year to visit him, had I know that most of the month spent there would be a total waste I wouldn't have even bothered going…"

Kagome's full attention was caught now, "So, what did you two fight about this time?" She watched as Rin tilted her head up, her breath slipped from her mouth which carried with it the echoed tune of both fatigue and heartbreak.

"I don't know anymore Kagome," she whispered as she leaned forward to meet her friend square in the eye, "I don't know…_us_."

"'Don't know us'?" Kagome cautiously restated, "What-what do you mean by-"

"He's still the same Kohaku," Rin unconsciously cut it, her eyes growing misty with unsheathed tears. "Don't think that the university life in America has changed him into some sort of egotistic playboy whose only lot in life is to buy the love and respect of every woman he comes across with; that's not him," she reassured, Kagome merely agreed and listened on as she dared not to interrupt when Rin was in one of her vocal moods.

Kagome also noticed her companion's eyes distancing themselves from the world, as if Rin was falling back into the memories of her recent trip. "His smile is still the same as ever, childish yet charming," she grinned, "And his laughter is very much the same too, so happy, almost as if he's still the same bashful teenager he was back when we were all in high school together, remember?"

Kagome nodded her head, how could she ever forget.

"He's still very caring; he volunteers at rescue centers so his deep love for animals is as rich as always. He's still the kind gentlemen he was brought up to be; holding doors open for me and pulling out my chair when we eat. Oh sure, a few things are different; of course he would be a smarter, stronger, more sociable guy than he was when he first began at the university last year. The program he's in pays for most of his expenses like room and boarding, but he says that living without his family has given him a higher sense of independence and more knowledgeable when it comes to handling money, which I'm glad for."

With all the amiable remarks given to the ever changing man, Kagome couldn't help but speak up. "Rin, it sounds like he's the same dreamboat he was back in high school, if possible he even sounds better. What on earth could be the problem?"

Kagome could hardly comprehend Rin's predicament. Kohaku was always perceived to be the shy, gullible type; something that all boys go through at a certain stage of their lives, and in his case, often never fades away. However, his bashful nature is exactly what painted that image of purity on his face, purity that complemented so well with Rin's enthusiastic smile; it practically made them both the ideal portrait of a 'perfect' couple back when they first started dating as teenagers.

"It's just," Rin hesitated; her teeth began chewing on her bottom lip, "It's his new life….it's filled with new experiences, new customs, new friends, new…everything…it's like, like I don't even fit into this new world of his."

"The way things were before, back when he and I were always together; I miss those days," her voice trailed off. "I just feel like he went on this big adventure, and I was the one who was left behind only to hear of its amazing details through the static end of a phone receiver. I'm not saying he's forgotten about me, of that I'm certain. I think it was just overwhelming for him to suddenly have me back in his life. It was, after all, the first trip I made to go see him since his move; it was…nerve-racking to say the least. I feel like his life is now a chess board and I'm the chess piece that he feels at a loss of what to do with."

Kagome blinked yet listened on.

"His schedule was jam-packed no thanks to his job, so the little time we did spend together was usually spent discussing future plans for the following week, plans that, unfortunately, were cut short in due to the other priorities he had in his life. That was _mainly_ what we fought about during my stay. I wasn't asking for his world to revolve around me Kagome, really," she claimed.

"I didn't chew his head off when he canceled on a _few_ of our dates to finish up on some work reports. I understand studying for the petroleum industry isn't an easy career to chase. Even when he began begging for rain-checks so he could catch up on some much needed sleep I still didn't make too much of a fuss about it. I settled with watching television in a language that I hardly spoke, it was…fun."

"I'm sure," Kagome rolled her eyes, "Your patience is insane, and if I were you I would have demanded some attention be put on me immediately. Don't take this the wrong way but don't you have any suspicions that he may be cheating on you since he's always dropping dates to go to '_work_'?"

"I would have had he not been working from home in the same apartment building I was staying at. He did have a few new female friends, some I wondered about but for the most part I didn't see anything that would indicate there was more between Kohaku and them other than mere friendship."

After a small sip of her tea, her eyes looked like they were deep in thought before she continued, "Of course things between us would be different, I was expecting the changes I just…I guess I was a bit flabbergasted…"

Kagome's brow quirked, since when did Rin use that word?

Nevertheless she continues, "It wasn't until I came face to face with the reality of his new life that I…that I realized just how far apart we've been growing. He laughs at all these new things, hardly even remembers some of the old jokes we used to make. He must have substituted books for sports; I noticed he'd rather go out and play soccer then sit inside and read a book, even though reading was one of our favorite things to do together back in High School. I don't know, maybe I was a bad girlfriend back then and just didn't see that his hobbies lied somewhere else-"

Kagome abruptly intruded, "Now hold on just a minute, I remember seeing Kohaku read plenty of books on his own without you, and judging by the smile on his face he took sheer pleasure in reading those boring classical books just for the fun of it. So I don't want to hear another word about you thinking you're some bad girlfriend, you got it!"

Rin, with a small smile, nodded her head.

"Maybe he just got into some new things, that happens after High School, people change; they don't think so at first but they can't deny it when it happens," Kagome added while her ears processed the recent conversation to mind, and came up with a three-worded outcome that explained Rin's entire dilemma.

Long-Distant Relationships; where two lives separate into their own routines and the only little remainders of hope lye in the all too frequent talk, text, and video chat.

"You're right," Rin accepted, "He has changed, but how can I blame him for growing up. How can I be furious with him when it's just life morphing a teenage high-school student into a young man in college? I can't do that to him; I don't want to add any more pressure than needed. His whole family used to push him into getting a high education than most of them received, and Sango has been tough on him too; she doesn't want to see her younger brother struggle in life like she's doing now. You saw how smart he was in High School; his high scores are what led him to an outstanding university in America. He's working so hard, I can see it; that's why I couldn't get too angry with him for canceling a few dates."

The muscles in her shoulders yet again began to slouch, "I'm so proud of him, truly I am. I'm so happy with how his life is turning out. I'm grateful that fate has blessed Kohaku's road to adulthood in grace…I…I just wish I had a better fitting role in his journey."

"You're his girlfriend," Kagome objected, "what higher position could you possibly have? You have that man wrapped around your finger. You two have been together since the beginning of high school, he sees his whole world in you; don't you still feel that?"

An unexpected silence flowed in the moment those words spurred past Kagome's lips; that, mixed in with the lack of eye contact, was all the reply that Kagome needed to see to get the full picture. Rin's frequent story had told only a small tale of their troubles, but Kagome had a feeling that there was much more to Rin's bundle of doubts over her questionable relationship than she was willing to let loose.

The older, darker-haired woman released a long sigh through her nose, when no immediate response came from her younger friend.

That painting of a romantic couple must have been a fluke, she thought; especially since the piece was already deteriorating right in front of her eyes. As a friend, she could tell Rin's peachy skin looked dull in compare to the usual sunny glow that glistened off her body, an obvious sign at just how unhappy she truly was. It's been often said that the eyes were like a doorway into the soul. For Rin, the tinted spark in her eyes was now gone, and replaced with a hallow emptiness that would have slipped anyone's notice by had they not looked closer. It was her near perfect smile that showcased her inner emotions; a smile which marinated a pinch of sadness to its usual all-too-happy demeanor; Kagome smiled at her triumph in catching the little attributes that made Rin well….Rin.

"Thanks for listening," Rin respired, "It feels good to get some of that off my chest. Oh and…please don't tell Sango about any of this," she pleaded as she clasped her hands together in front of her face. Kagome nearly felt like snickering at the comment.

"You know she won't think of you any differently is you have a few complaints about her brother, they're siblings after all, they do tend to fight. Buddha knows she's had her fair share of things to say about him these past few years."

"Yes, but still," Rin asserted, everyone was aware of Kagome's spontaneous habit of letting important information slip into the wrong ears. "Just let me spill the beans to her, when I'm absolutely certain that things between me and Kohaku aren't going to work out in the long run."

"So, does this mean you _are_ going to break up with him?"

"I'm…not sure," entered the obvious answer. "We gave this long distance thing a try, for a whole year we attempted to make out relationship work through phone calls, text messages, internet…it's just not the same. Then when we finally do see each other after months of being apart I feel like a stranger to him; can you believe it," Rin chuckled lightly, "I feel like I'm the stranger, I feel so lost when I'm with him…like I don't know which left is right…I've finally accepted the fact that maybe I feel that way 'cause there is no place for me anymore, not with him."

"Being his whole world sounds like nothing more than a joke to me right now," she continued. "I feel more like extra weight on his back. Breaking up would certainly make things easier on us, I feel like it would not only be better for him but for me as well."

"However, that sentence alone will hardly be persuasive enough to make him see things my way granted he tries to keep us together. Who knows though, maybe he's been thinking the same thing lately. We didn't exactly part on good terms when I left to come home; we barely even shared a kiss goodbye. I wonder if he's been having the same doubts I've been having these past few weeks, heck who am I kidding…I've been questioning our decision to stay together ever since winter of last year. If he's thinking the same thoughts I am then maybe breaking up won't be so hard and yet…"

"Relationships never part so easily," Kagome, as if on cue, answered for her, "Especially the ones that go on for what seems like months on end." The young woman of twenty-one has definitely had her small share of relationships in the past; when it came to men she had a little more advice to give than her not-so-young nineteen year old friend.

"That's exactly right, which is why I need some more time to think about it, or at least get my thoughts straight so when and if I do decide to confront him about all this I'll know just what to say. For all I know maybe what we both need is a good talk to straighten up this whole mess, but that does nothing to help the 'distance' situation…Oh gosh what if he thinks the only reason I'm questioning our relationship is because I found someone else?!"

There it was; the open shot Kagome had to obtaining a firmer grip on what was really going through that puzzling heart of Rin's. "Have you found someone else?"

In an instant, a sequence of panicked expressions bundled forth, each expression even more shocked than the last. "Of course I haven't!" she stuttered back unconvincingly. An unexpected chuckle leaked through, "How could you expect such a thing Kagome, I would never go behind Kohaku's back and see someone-"

"I asked if you had _found_ someone," the raven-haired woman sternly corrected, "We're talking two different concepts here Rin, and while I totally believe that you would never pull some wool over Kohaku's eyes I'm curious…is there someone that has managed to capture the fair maiden's attention?"

The burning blush that gathered to the center of round, pouting cheeks combined with the sudden stray of almond-brown eyes practically told it all. Kagome's own eyes turned from the humorous scene of her cherry-faced friend to the side where she then lifted a crisp, lavender-colored paper filled with the colorful hues of whites and yellows mixed with the different shades of leafy-green stems. "If these flowers that you so urgently asked me to obtain from your flower shop, which I might add was not a pleasant trip, aren't for a certain gentlemen then I guess you plan to add a little flavor to our table, right?"

With hast, Rin moved forward to gently pick her bouquet of flowers from Kagome's hyperactive hands, one of which was near close to unconsciously picking away at precious pedals. "T-They are for someone," she nervously confirmed, "but it's not what you think! You see I don't plan to give them away as a token of love or anything like that."

Kagome stifled a giggle, she didn't ask.

"It's….just as a gift of appreciation is all," the brunette feebly confirmed.

With tender fingers Rin began to poke and pry at the assortment of pedals and leaves, her eyes locked on the centers of each flower which led Kagome to assume that Rin was far off in her own little world at the moment; a world where those flowers obviously brought back some joyous memories considering they held her gaze for a long period of time. Kagome's curiosity had her asking, "What kind of flowers are they?"

Rin eyes, if even possible, brightened. "Frangipani; odd name, but aren't they beautiful," she stated as opposed to asked; her eyes never once loosened its hold of the white and yellows pedals that mesmerized it's holder and drew in warm, caring eyes like the way plants were naturally drawn to the sun.

"They come in either pink and yellow, or white and yellow; depending on the seed. When I was younger I always thought that the pink and yellow ones were the most beautiful." In the midst of her speech Kagome couldn't help but spot the shinning smile that curved at the ends of the brunette's cheeks. "Now I've found myself staring at the white and yellow ones a lot more these days."

"Mm-hmm," Kagome mirrored the sweet smile gracing Rin's face, and propped her elbows on the table so as to place her chin in the center of her open palms. "Soooo," she winked, "What's his name, who's going to be the future proud owner of a fresh set of frangi-fra-ga…Oh, you know what I mean, who is he?!"

The sentence seemed to do the trick in pulling Rin out of her trance, "What makes you so sure it's for a man?" she stubbornly countered.

"Oh, so that dreamy look you had was directed toward a girl, huh?!"

"Ehhh…" Rin's eyes widened, for some odd reason her body found refuge in leaning away which only aided her in almost falling back from her chair. "It's a guy…" she immediately established.

"This is wonderful!" Kagome clapped, "Table talk, I can't wait to hear. Of course what's a little supper conversation without a hot fresh meal, seriously where is out…WAITER!" she profusely demanded; the echo of her harsh voice nearly had ever head in the restaurant turn her way, much to Rin's noticeable discomfort as she tried her best to sink low under the table. Perhaps there were certain reasons as to why it was always better to have Sango around.

The call was loud and humiliating, but it certainly did the trick because not even a minute later a young, familiar man zoomed up to their table wearing a dark-green apron on his body and a charming, sweet smile on his face. Having been stuck on a one on one date with the men's urinals for all of two hours, Miroku felt a fresh wave of femininity circle his atmosphere as dusky violet eyes took aim on his new found subjects.

"So sorry for the wait," he explained with a humorous tone, "We've been a little shorthanded as of late, no thanks to a certain violent customer I believe the young miss here has had the pleasure of meeting." The wink he sent Rin's way was nothing short of suspicious, and if there was one thing Kagome hated more than the terrors of the early mornings, it was being left out of conversation.

"I-I'll see if I can have him apologize for that," Rin stammered, her heart looked like it was about to leap from her chest and Kagome almost grew jealous at the volcanic heat that peered from her friend's ears.

"Oh no need for that," Miroku kindly brushed off, "After all the gesture was done entirely in your favor; a gentleman like that is best not allowed to get away." _Speaking of the good ones getting away…_Miroku stiffened a sigh that threatened to work its way through, though as beautiful and principled as she seemed Miroku knew this was one flirtatious situation he was simply going to have to avoid.

_Alas, if at first you don't succeed, _his eyes drew toward the darker haired woman with a twitching smirk, _try, try again. _

Meanwhile on the other side of the table Kagome watched her scarlet-faced companion nod at their waiters comment. Rin was obviously love-struck, her smile was all the proof needed and Kagome longed to have that look settle into he own eyes. For the past few nights the dark haired woman has found herself craving that kind of feeling, that all too mushy goodness that settles into your stomach and evaporates to form a dozen ticklish butterflies. It seems cupid's arrow had set its course on another route, and now Kagome grew even more curious as to the kind of 'gentlemen' that wormed his way into Rin's ever so affectionate heart. _Dear God, please don't tell me it's this guy…_

"Now then, as much as I would love to turn this ordering session into a colorful chitchat I'm sure you two lovely ladies have waited long enough," he bowed before them before taking out the pad inside his apron's pocket, and the pencil attached behind his ear. "What can I get for you today Ma'me?" he directed toward Kagome.

"Kitsune udon for me," she politely ordered, noting the sly way her waiter sized her up as if she was his next full meal. _What a pervert, this can't be the guy that Rin's taken with…_

"One kitsune," he marked down before moving his head in the brunette's direction, "And you miss, would you like another cup of Oolongcha?"

"One was plenty, thank you," Rin passed as her blush dissipated while she continued to stare at her flowers; Kagome sighed in relief, her womanly instincts telling her that maybe the waiter wasn't the mystery man.

"Also," Rin added, "if you don't mind could you just…um…well ..." Her voice grew to a whisper, "You see I can't spend all that money alone so would it be alright if you could-"

"Why, I'd be happy to charge your friends fee from your account," he smiled knowingly and sent Kagome yet another suspicious looking wink. "You have quite the friend," he informed before gleefully skipping onward to his next table which, much to his revulsion, happened to be filled with a group of rowdy grandmothers who all looked like tossed laundry that was due for some much needed ironing.

The good waiter's eyes immediately bulged out, and all his flirtatious strategies were immediately tossed out the window. He felt like the proper thing to do in a situation like this would be to take the easy way out and do what the possums do; play dead, for he knew the moment his eyes accidentally brushed passed their line of sight his life would be cut short in one lip-smacking second.

Just as he predicted, not even a minute later a dozen wrinkled, old, lipstick-red kisses were suddenly blown his way and it took ever bendable bone in his body to maneuver his way passed the barrage of airy smooches before Miroku came to a complete halt all together.

_M-Maybe I better get that kitsune dish started; _he nervously thought before turning on his heels to dash off into the kitchen, or better yet known as his sanctuary. Heck, he wouldn't mind picking up where he left off with the urinals.

Off to the side both Rin and Kagome shared a good laugh at what just transpired not even a few good feet from their table. "He's funny," Rin was the first to point out, "and so polite."

"Funny, yes," Kagome nodded, "but polite, well he can't fool me. He was totally checking us out."

"You think so?"

"Didn't you see the odd way he looked at me?"

"I just thought he noticed that piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth."

"What piece of lettuce!" Kagome panicked as she drew out her phone to stare into the blue-clear screen. "How can this be, I haven't eaten anything since breakf…" reality dawned on her and her clean, white teeth as she glowered at her giggling audience. "Oh very clever Miss honestly is a virtue."

"Honestly is a virtue," Rin continued to laugh, "but to see the look on your face, that's to die for."

"Oh was it now," Kagome countered, "Funny, if there was anything in this world that I'd think you'd die for my guess would be that bouquet of flowers you're still holding onto." At the reply Rin's blushing cheeks quickly warmed her face once again as she gently placed the flowers down beside her in a hurried motion to try and plead guilty against Kagome's observation.

"You're just lucky I was thankful that you replied to my text yesterday and lent me your umbrella, it's been blazing hot this past week." Kagome's smile grew as wide as a sharks, "I think someone has been engulfed in the passionate flames of romance," the elder one teased.

"No, no," she tried denying, "It's not like that! I'm in the process of ending one relationship, not trying to start another."

"Hey, it happens," Kagome reassured, "Trust me, this whole situation of being with someone yet liking someone else, that's natural it happens to everyone young and old. You should be lucky you're not married and falling for someone else, now that's hectic. In fact, think about it, you're still so young and Kohaku has been the only guy you've ever dated; don't you think it makes sense that your heart will start seeking out other potential matches?"

"I-I never thought about it that way," the brunette pondered. "Still though, I don't want to get involved in anything till Kohaku and I have agreed that it's better to end things where they are now."

"I knew it, so you really have caught the love-bug!" Kagome squealed happily as Rin attempted to hush her overactive friend.

"I have my reasons for wanting to end things with Kohaku," Rin sternly explained, "I won't lie and say that these strange new feelings I'm developing aren't somewhere mixed in with the equation, but I also couldn't be further from the truth when I say that_ he _had nothing to do with my decision. This little turmoil Kohaku and I have been facing, even before I met…well you know…_him_, things weren't exactly going great between me and Kohaku, and now it seems the elephant has finally been noticed, and it's time to deal with it."

After a few moments of silence Rin straightened her shoulders and put on a brave face, "It's settled," she decided, "I'm going to end things with Kohaku. Be it tonight or some other night this week I want to finally break things off between us."

"You sure?" asked Kagome, not wanting for any form of regret to grow forth from the young woman opposite from her. She's been down that road in the past, it's no fun being unsure about the person you're letting go of. "No turning back right?"

"I'm positive, not turning back. School will be starting up soon, and that'll keep our minds busy for a while. It's funny though," she quietly chuckled, her head bent down. "I was always upset at the distance between us, but after we break up, this whole 'half-way around the world' business might be just what we need to really and truly get over one another."

"And while you're getting over one another, you can try and hit it off with this mystery man I was unaware of," a pair of navy-blue eyes suggested.

"Didn't you hear me!" she exclaimed with angry red cheeks, before the shushing sounds of a couple behind them made Rin hutch low in her seat with embarrassment, "I can't…you know…see _him_ in that way; especially if I had just broken up with Kohaku. I would feel so…cheap, I'd be the girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend and immediately ran into the arms of another man."

"Well would you rather see him while you're still with Kohaku?"

"Heavens no!" Rin yet again exclaimed without an ounce of regard to her loud voice regardless if the couple who shushed her again had a problem with it.

"And why is that?" Kagome demanded.

"Because I don't want to be a cheating girlfriend, that's why!"

"Then there you go," Kagome reasoned, "What's wrong with seeing him after your breakup, you'll be a free woman and you'll have no boyfriend to cheat on. As for that 'cheap' thing, your love life is nobody's business but your own and you remember that."

"I guess…with all the things I have going on, boyfriends troubles should be the least of my worries…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that my entre grade point average is going to hit rock bottom no thanks to Bankotsu!"

"Bankotsu, you mean that gang member Bankotsu! That guy's bad new Rin; I thought we agreed last semester that you wouldn't let him treat you like his own personal homework machine. As if he even has the motivation to work through college, everybody knows he just wants his daddy's company so he picks on the weak to help him get by in his classes; you had to haul ass last semester just to keep up your straight A's no thanks to him!"

"I know but…" Rin hesitated, "That's nothing compared to the trouble he'll bring me this semester…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"S-something happened last month…it was after I left your house the night that it started pouring really bad…I…well it's a long story…."

"And I want to start hearing details right this minute," the elder demanded, until their waiter suddenly returned with their dish.

"One Kitsune Udon," Miroku politely cut in as he placed Kagome's steaming dish before her. "I hope it is to your liking. So sorry for my interruption," he bowed respectfully to the two ladies.

"It's fine," Kagome hastily answered, "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, it's on the house," Miroku brushed off.

"On the house, but-"

"You friend here has quite the connections," he answered, before sending them both yet another cheery smile before heading back to the kitchen.

Kagome watched her waiter walk away while her brain tried to conjure up a proper explanation for what just happened; her mind was as clean as a chalkboard. She turned her head forward, watching as Rin tried to put on the look of pure innocence but Kagome knew better than to fall for those cute, kitten eyes. She shot that look down and now all that was left was the image of someone who looked like they just stole from the cookie jar.

"Maybe you better start from the beginning," she suggested, and with a nod of agreement that's exactly what happened.

Rin began her story slowly; she talked about the night she was at Kagome's apartment as they chatted away about their relationship troubles. It then escalated to the part where Rin decided to head home, confused as to what she was going to do about Kohaku, and decided to walk it off despite her friend's protest to wait until the rain cleared up.

"It wasn't long till I first laid eyes on _him_," Rin said.

She explained how at first it was the sudden noise that caught her attention. How it was merely curiosity that guided her to the bloody brawl between the long, silver-haired man and three, soon to be four, other individuals; each she recognized as plain as day by their malicious laughs and taunting words.

She described to Kagome exactly what she saw the fair-skinned male go through. Rin defined the rib breaking punches he received, the slashes that zipped across his cheeks, and skin piercing punches that was imprinted on his head; each blow leaving liquid blood in its wake. "You should have seen him Kagome. Even after all that, he still stood up and fought back, it was unlike anything I've ever seen."

Regardless of his state, he still stood up with his shoulders proud and blocked punch after punch until he found an opening to land a few of his own knuckle bunched fists at their bodies. From there the story reached its turning point; the fair skinned stranger was caught in a situation where a barrel was aimed at his head. Rin found that she could not explain the magnetic pull that took over her body back then; it was almost magical as far as she could define. Before she knew it she was standing on shaky legs yelling at the killers to stop.

She explained that to this day she still felt like she could have done more, that she could have been braver than she was. He was far stronger than her, both physically and mentally; he even tried to get her to run away. She felt like she cowered like a whimpering puppy, unable to match the attitude with her words. Oddly enough however, she managed to save a man's life that night, at the expense of her studies and grades but she didn't need to think twice about which was more important.

"I regret nothing," she said, a small smile creeping through, "Especially after meeting him."

Underneath all the layers of rainwater and blood, she told of a face that looked like it had been molded by heaven's angels, and yet his reserved expression spoke of past memories brought on by the torturous games the devil so loved to play.

High sculpted cheek bones, piercing tan eyes which she first mistook to be the color of pure gold, the unusual markings edged in his cheeks and forehead…she didn't understand but neither did she question. Next she described the uncommon yet equally sleek silver hair that threaded down his back like spun silk, each bundled set of strands as soft as a feather.

There was blood, yes; a lot of blood to be precise, the purple-blue bruises that were already starting to form could have easily been seen as unsightly. And yet…

"So handsome," Rin whispered, "I know it sounds weird seeing as how hurt he was, but he was so, so handsome Kagome…."

Despite his good looks, however, her story progressed to the point where it was time to describe the stranger's attitude. For once, Rin bypassed her usual sugarcoated speeches and went straight to the short and simple truth.

She told of the man's personality, stubborn as a hog on ice and a tongue as fickle as a pinball machine. His temper could crack the surface of brimstone, she said, and his counterarguments were thrown back as fast as a baseball.

He was crude when he saw fit, she said, and yet the sound of his voice was richly deep, and could easily chill the sturdiest of spines. His well-bred speech carried with it a sophisticated elegance that made his use of discussion a skill which he sharpened to perfection. He was ill-tempered, he was rude, and he never once thanked her.

"He truly was sweet though," she explained; unable to deny the gentleness he exposed. There was a certain tenderness to his voice that could not go unnoticed, despite his aloof nature; a tenderness that replicated the same affectionate voice she used when she asked if he was alright. He cared for her wellbeing as much as she did his; she told Kagome that as strange as that sound, caring for him the way she did felt as natural as the way blossoms bloom in the spring. It felt completely right to her.

Rin clarified how he reminded her of her favorite chocolate candies, the kind with the hard outer shell and the rich creamy filling inside. She told of the small meal she served him out in the middle of the sidewalk, under a lighted streetlight, on a dark, sprinkling night. While it may have been a tad awkward at first, Rin enlightened on her story when she started telling of their small conversations and how she learned that the poor man was fatherless, much like her, however he had the luck of both knowing and seeing his mother on a daily basis. She learned that pride meant as much to him as all her friends meant to her; she told Kagome how she wondered if he even knew what it was like to know of something more valuable than one's own self-importance. If he didn't, than she felt that was truly sad.

"I wish I knew more about him; maybe his work occupation or….his name…" she ended. "Well anyway, I suppose that sums up the story. An odd way for two people to meet don't you think?" she laughed.

On the opposite side of the table, Kagome stood with her mouth wide open, an un-eaten string of noodles dangled from her chopsticks till the bundle fell altogether to leave a splash in her broth. Her face was frozen solid; a look of utter shock and astonishment permanently marked her brows before Rin waved her hand in front of her face.

"Hello, earth to Kagome," she waved, "Are you alright?"

"Y-you," she began mumbling, her face unchanged, "That…that gang…you promised to…TO BE BANKOTSU'S TUTOR FOR A WHOLE YEAR?!" she bellowed as she yanked Rin's collar close, completely oblivious to all the shushing sent her way. "Are you crazy, how could you sell your brain like that? You know Bankotsu's version of tutoring just means you doing his homework for him, and he expect A's or…I shudder to think of what he'll have his men do!"

"I know that," Rin answered as calmly as she could, "but what was I supposed to do Kagome, just relish in my secluded corner while a man gets killed only a few feet from me, he was someone's son. I couldn't live with that guilty conscious; it would have slowly ended up killing me too."

"You could have called the police!"

"By then it would have been too late, I know what I did was reckless…and when I get my test scores back by the end of the semester I'll really want to kick myself for doing what I did. I won't regret it though, what's done is done Kagome, there is nothing I can do about it now."

"Like hell, we can call the police."

"And tell them what?" Rin countered, "That I'm being forced to tutor someone?"

"No, to tell them that a couple of gang members threatened you," Kagome said.

"It all happened last month; I have no evidence to back me up. Even if they do find them, anything I say would just be my word against theirs."

Kagome sighed into the air before entwining her fingers in her hair, her appetite lost, he interest in Rin's new crush slightly dwindled in compare to the topic pertaining to her friends life and school work.

"I don't suppose there were any witnesses?" In truth, Kagome didn't expect any sort of positive answer, so you can imagine the surprise on her face when Rin replied.

"Well, actually," she reached into her cardigan sweater, and pulled out a shiny gold card. "I…I think I might have that man's number on here, maybe he could help by supporting my claim." Kagome quickly snatched the card, and immediately her eyes widened.

"This is a law firm," she simplistically stated, "The Meidou Zangetsuha Law Firm, Rin this is like the most famous attorney's office in the whole city, this building is practically on every business magazine."

"Really, is it that famous?" Apparently, this was news to her.

"That and much more," Kagome assured, "Do you mean to tell me that that guy you saved works for this company?"

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully, "When the time came to say our goodbyes he tried giving me his card but…I don't know, I didn't want him to think that I saw a price on saving a life you know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah" Kagome said, not really paying too much attention. "It just crossed my mind, what if he's a lawyer; did he look of suitable age?" Before Rin even had a chance to respond Kagome continued. "I really do hope he is, if our luck comes through and this friend of yours end up working for that company than not only do we have our much needed witness, but a lawyer from a top law firm too! We can finally get rid of that gang once and for all; our college will be free from turmoil!"

Rin cut in as soon as she could, "Wait a second Kagome you're getting way too far ahead of yourself, first off I don't even know his name much less if he works there. Like I said I just remember him trying to give me a card similar to that before we parted ways."

"So, whatever happened to him, he got back home safe right?"

"I should think so; I had Totosai give him a ride."

"You got Totosai to give him a ride!" Kagome fell back in her chair and covered her eyes, "Oh that guy's dead for sure."

"Kagome!"

"Alright how about this; in the worst case scenario what if he doesn't even remember you? We have to plan this out right." Kagome saw how the question caught Rin a bit off guard, but for the sake of the brunette's education the darker-haired woman only hoped some suitable response could be made.

"I think he'll remember me," Rin said. Kagome blinked, a little caught off guard herself.

"How?"

Rin hesitated, her cheeks turning red, "You know how your meal was paid on the house."

Kagome nodded, "What about it? Wait; don't tell me that guy is here in this very restaurant, watching us eat like a creepo or something?"

Rin shook her head before opening her mouth; explaining to Kagome her new found fortune a certain silver-haired benefactor bestowed upon her.

For the second time that day, a dish set shattered against the table; noodles and broth spilling everywhere along the tatami mats and pillows. Miroku was the first to run out and see what all the commotion was about, and beheld the sight laid out before him. In the midst of her total psychotic panic Kagome grabbed Rin by the wrist and began dragging her to the front entrance.

"Wait, where are we going?" Rin asked as she was abruptly pulled outside the restaurant, her face a total shock over Kagome's reaction to the 392,608 yen thing.

With a face as hard as stone, Kagome marched forward determined to get to the bottom of this whole money situation, it sounded like a complete scam to her. "It's time for a little reunion, what does the address on that card say?"

Back inside Miroku's expression dulled down as he glared at the second mess of the day made to the a different set of tatami mats, pillows, and low seating table that looked just as dirty, if not more, as the first mess that was made earlier. He sighed, knowing exactly who was going to have to clean it all up.

_I seriously need to take a long hard look at my job… _

_**(To Be Continued)**_

_**Next Chapter: Rin life takes an unsuspected turn and its registration day at Tenseiga U. where Sesshomaru hopes to come across Rin on campus. Unfortunately for him, that's much easier said than done. **_

**AN: That's about as much teasing as I'll go with keeping Sess&Rin apart, now that Sesshomaru will be starting school soon there will be lots of interaction between them I promise, and the best part is this story hasn't even yet scraped the surface of what I have planned. **

**My apologies if this chapter may have come off as a bit boring because of it containing more conversation talk than anything else, but that's really just the way it came to mind. I needed scenes where more of Rin was revealed and some of her hidden feelings but I tried to stay away from her main POV as best I could by using more of Kagome's. The whole ordeal about long term relationships, which was purely just for my story I myself have never really had a problem with that kind of relationship but I can't have Rin be madly in love with Kohaku lol they just grew apart is all but my story plot does still need Kohaku so yeah. Oh and yes Miroku is finally in, he's my second fav male character!**

**If you have any questions you're free to review, of course those are welcomed, or you can always pm me either way is fine :) Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you look out for the next chapter coming up. Next story to update is Market Mayhem.**

**~;~;~;~;~;~Happy Holidays~;~;~;~;~;~**


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